About 2 weeks ago I left for my first trip with the program to Jujuy, a province in the North-West corner of Argentina. Now I´m about to leave for the second trip, to Córdoba, and I still haven´t updated.
Jujuy was fun. Hopefully I´ll be able to explain it more later but, for now: We went from Wednesday to Sunday and it was wonderful to escape from the city for a bit. We were in the mountains/desert and it was really pretty and each day we traveled to visit a different part of the province. It was a bit more educational than I had expected--it was a seminar with UBA Philosophy and Letters, so we had guides and lectures at the various places we visited.
The trip to Córdoba is apparently more relaxing. I´ll let you know when I get back (I promise!).
Last Friday was the first day of Spring and also Student´s Day, so no one had classes. Someone told me that students´day is to honor the students who disapeared during the dictatorship in the ´70s, though I´m not sure if thats true or not. A few friends and I went to a park to have a picnic and were surrounded by Argentines, though mostly high-school aged. It was a lot of fun.
Sunday night I got to meet some of my extended Argentine family. It was my "aunt´s" birthday, so we went over to her house to celebrate and I met various cousins/aunts/etc. It was fun, though I was very glad to have Annie (my host mom´s daughter´s student) there with me.
Lots more going on, but not enough time to write. Just wanted to let you all know that I´m alive and well though. It must be a good thing if I´m too busy to write, right?
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Saturday, September 8, 2007
Classes and a long-overdue update
It had been a while since I updated, so I'll write 2 in one day.
Life is good. My classes are going well and, as of Friday, I'm finally officially registered and whatnot (a month after starting? something like that).
I'm taking:
Social and Cultural Anthropology at the University of Buenos Aires (UBA). UBA is like nothing I've seen before. Its a huge public school, free, very much underfunded, and the best in the country. I have my lecture class in a huge warehouse-looking room with 100 (200? I dont know, I'm terrible at estimating people) people. The professor uses a mic (when it works) and smokes more or less throughout the entire class. In UBA, all of the walls are covered with posters (usually hand-painted) advertising events or student groups or political propoganda. There are lots of students handing out fliers as well. It's definitely an interesting experience. I have my "practica" class as well (what is it in English? We don't have it at Elon. Recitation?), which probably has 20-30 students. I ended up changing that class for another time, but I've made some friends, so thats good.
Cultural Issues in Argentine History through my program. It's been pretty interesting and its comparative to the U.S. as well. The professor is great and really excited about the subject and teaching, so it makes it much more interesting.
The language in action: Word and Urban Landscape in Argentine Literature through my program. I really enjoy this professor as well. Every other week we have a regular class, with a lecture/presentations/discussions/etc. The other week we go on "field trips" around the city to visit areas where authors live or wrote or areas of inspiration or that appear in various poems/stories.
Language Class. Really not that exciting. At this point I've learned all of the grammar basics, I just need lots of practice. So, lots of review with other people from the U.S. In the other classes there are people from all over, but in mine we're all from the U.S. Oh well.
Choir with IUNA (the arts school). I joined/went to my first class last week. It was so exciting! Its great to sing again, because I haven't really since high school. We sing mostly in Spanish, but we're doing a few songs in English as well. I was excited that I knew two of them--"Remember Oh Thou Man" (which I sang with madrigals) and "Weep, Oh Mine Eyes" (which I played in a quartet in orchestra).
Independent Study. I'm studying the influences of English on the Spanish in Buenos Aires. It's still not really focused. I'm going to see if I can turn it into something for my thesis at Elon though. We'll see.
Next week I'm going to Jujuy and later in the month Cordoba, both trips with the program. It shold be fun. I've overcome my fear of talking on the phone in Spanish (so much harder than in person) as I now talk with some friends I've met here on the phone. I'm understanding the TV much better now as well. I don't watch much, but sometimes I'll join Elvira (my "mom") to watch something. She likes Patinando por un Sueno (Iceskating for a Dream), which is more or less Dancing with the Stars, but iceskating.
I'm also starting to learn to go with the flow a little more here because plans often don't work out so well. Last night I actually made a plan of where I wanted to go and had a friend to go with me but at the last minute it just didn't work out. I ended up going to dinner with Elvira and Joaquin to their friends house though. Today, after sending many text messages, I found a friend to go with me to a free concert. When we got there though there weren't any tickets left. We ran into Esteban, an argentino that sings in the choir with me, and ended up hanging out with him. He was our tourguide of Recoleta (one of the barrios/neighborhoods) and we went to the museum of fine arts, the feria (fair? I'm not sure what it translates to exactly. Lots of stands selling things, music, food, etc. They happen all over every weekend), and then for coffee and a snack. It was really fun.
Anyway, almost time for dinner. Thats enough of a random update for now. I'll try to be a little more consistent with the updates!! Hasta luego.....
Life is good. My classes are going well and, as of Friday, I'm finally officially registered and whatnot (a month after starting? something like that).
I'm taking:
Social and Cultural Anthropology at the University of Buenos Aires (UBA). UBA is like nothing I've seen before. Its a huge public school, free, very much underfunded, and the best in the country. I have my lecture class in a huge warehouse-looking room with 100 (200? I dont know, I'm terrible at estimating people) people. The professor uses a mic (when it works) and smokes more or less throughout the entire class. In UBA, all of the walls are covered with posters (usually hand-painted) advertising events or student groups or political propoganda. There are lots of students handing out fliers as well. It's definitely an interesting experience. I have my "practica" class as well (what is it in English? We don't have it at Elon. Recitation?), which probably has 20-30 students. I ended up changing that class for another time, but I've made some friends, so thats good.
Cultural Issues in Argentine History through my program. It's been pretty interesting and its comparative to the U.S. as well. The professor is great and really excited about the subject and teaching, so it makes it much more interesting.
The language in action: Word and Urban Landscape in Argentine Literature through my program. I really enjoy this professor as well. Every other week we have a regular class, with a lecture/presentations/discussions/etc. The other week we go on "field trips" around the city to visit areas where authors live or wrote or areas of inspiration or that appear in various poems/stories.
Language Class. Really not that exciting. At this point I've learned all of the grammar basics, I just need lots of practice. So, lots of review with other people from the U.S. In the other classes there are people from all over, but in mine we're all from the U.S. Oh well.
Choir with IUNA (the arts school). I joined/went to my first class last week. It was so exciting! Its great to sing again, because I haven't really since high school. We sing mostly in Spanish, but we're doing a few songs in English as well. I was excited that I knew two of them--"Remember Oh Thou Man" (which I sang with madrigals) and "Weep, Oh Mine Eyes" (which I played in a quartet in orchestra).
Independent Study. I'm studying the influences of English on the Spanish in Buenos Aires. It's still not really focused. I'm going to see if I can turn it into something for my thesis at Elon though. We'll see.
Next week I'm going to Jujuy and later in the month Cordoba, both trips with the program. It shold be fun. I've overcome my fear of talking on the phone in Spanish (so much harder than in person) as I now talk with some friends I've met here on the phone. I'm understanding the TV much better now as well. I don't watch much, but sometimes I'll join Elvira (my "mom") to watch something. She likes Patinando por un Sueno (Iceskating for a Dream), which is more or less Dancing with the Stars, but iceskating.
I'm also starting to learn to go with the flow a little more here because plans often don't work out so well. Last night I actually made a plan of where I wanted to go and had a friend to go with me but at the last minute it just didn't work out. I ended up going to dinner with Elvira and Joaquin to their friends house though. Today, after sending many text messages, I found a friend to go with me to a free concert. When we got there though there weren't any tickets left. We ran into Esteban, an argentino that sings in the choir with me, and ended up hanging out with him. He was our tourguide of Recoleta (one of the barrios/neighborhoods) and we went to the museum of fine arts, the feria (fair? I'm not sure what it translates to exactly. Lots of stands selling things, music, food, etc. They happen all over every weekend), and then for coffee and a snack. It was really fun.
Anyway, almost time for dinner. Thats enough of a random update for now. I'll try to be a little more consistent with the updates!! Hasta luego.....
The bracelet
So a few weeks ago I went to meet up with some friends at Plaza Serrano. There are lots of restaurants and bars with open space in the middle. I was the first one to get there, so I started walking around, looking at the booths selling jewelry/crafts in the center of the plaza. One of the vendors struck up a conversation with me and we talked for about 20 minutes before my friends finally got there. I love talking to new people. He made bracelets and after talking for a few minutes he said he wanted to give me something. He gave me a bracelet, not like the ones he sold, but simple with string and a wooden bead. It's a "dream bracelet" (pulsera de deseos, but desires translates a little funny in English). I had to make a wish on the bead and when it falls off, that means it comes true. (There was also something about positive energy but I didnt really catch that part...).
Anyway, I don't know if the bracelet is like birthday candles, where you're not supposed to tell, but I'm going to anyway. I wished for "direction."
I had heard from others that, in general, you change a lot when you study abroad. You discover a lot about yourself when you're taken so far out of our comfort zone. I had somewhat expected this, and wanted this, but didn't realize to what extent I'd experience it. Sometimes I feel like my world has been turned upside down. Obviously I'm living in a different culture, different language, etc. But I'm trying so many new things and meeting so many new people and really just trying to have an open mind and it's making me question everything. My favorite example, as silly as it is, is that I didn't like tea and only sometimes would drink coffee back home. Now I have coffee and/or tea pretty much every day. And I like it. It's just makning me reevaluate a lot of things that I thought/wanted/liked/etc.
But even though right now my life is a little confusing, I know its a good thing. I know that, one day the bracelet will fall off and I will have a clearer idea of who I am, what I am, what I like, etc (which may or may not be at the same time). I know I will come out of this better and stronger. And I'm really excited about that.
Anyway, I don't know if the bracelet is like birthday candles, where you're not supposed to tell, but I'm going to anyway. I wished for "direction."
I had heard from others that, in general, you change a lot when you study abroad. You discover a lot about yourself when you're taken so far out of our comfort zone. I had somewhat expected this, and wanted this, but didn't realize to what extent I'd experience it. Sometimes I feel like my world has been turned upside down. Obviously I'm living in a different culture, different language, etc. But I'm trying so many new things and meeting so many new people and really just trying to have an open mind and it's making me question everything. My favorite example, as silly as it is, is that I didn't like tea and only sometimes would drink coffee back home. Now I have coffee and/or tea pretty much every day. And I like it. It's just makning me reevaluate a lot of things that I thought/wanted/liked/etc.
But even though right now my life is a little confusing, I know its a good thing. I know that, one day the bracelet will fall off and I will have a clearer idea of who I am, what I am, what I like, etc (which may or may not be at the same time). I know I will come out of this better and stronger. And I'm really excited about that.
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