Protesting, Sweating and Maté

Hello, dear friends!

Vacation time in Argentina is coming to an end, which means two things: Fall is coming (and will soon get rid of this horrendous heat), and the streets are about to welcome its 13 million citizens back home. Arriving in January has been absolutely wonderful for me to get acquainted with Buenos Aires, but I have to admit, I'm a bit nervous to experience what this city is really like.  

But for now, I'll fill you in on the adventures of the past week or so...

CEA took us on a little field trip down to Plaza de Mayo, which is the center of all the major congressional buildings. That said, if you have anything to protest about, this is the place to go.  The city has permanently installed "riot" fences in attempts to keep things from getting too out of hand and to prevent angry protesters from attacking the Casa Rosada (the equivalent of the United States' White House).

From 1976 to 1983, Argentina was in the "Dirty War." During this time, thousands of children "disappeared" from their homes, and were never to be found again- all done by Argentina's own government. Every Thursday in Plaza de Mayo, the mother's, grandmothers, and any others, march around the center as a way of remembering those who "disappeared" and to make a statement that while their children have been killed, some of those responsible for the Dirty War are still living. I had the opportunity to march with these ladies, and it was an absolutely incredible experience.  You could really feel the passion they have for what they're doing.

After marching with the mothers, a couple of us went for afternoon tea at the famous Tortoni Cafe.  This is one of the oldest in Buenos Aires, and very well kept. There's always a line going out the door, but thats mainly because they don't allow people to wait inside...it's all about the atmosphere!

Loly and Mary invited about 14 of their friends over to the apartment the other day for some empanadas and cerveza (Quilmes, of course). I had so much fun attempting to talk to their friends, and to just experience authentic Argentina. That being said...I learned how to make empanadas, and I'm feeling so accomplished! The first one had a bit of an identity crisis in it's fold (Nacho said it looked ugly), but since that one, I think I've been making some pretty fine looking empanadas.  Loly's mom was making empanadas with us, and (proud moment) she asked me to teach her how I fold mine. Win!

Mary's mom (mi abuela) also came to visit recently, and she is the epitome of what I imagine all grandmothers to be like.  As soon as she met me, she took care of the nasty sunburn I had acquired at Plaza de Mayo.  Then, of course, she had all kinds of cute pet names for me.  We drank maté together one afternoon, and she just talked and talked and talked about everything.  I picked up on the subjects here and there and chimed in when I could, but it was great to just sit and listen (and drink maté of course).

Let me give you the details on maté.  Maté is tea, but unlike any tea you would get in the States.  It's straight herbs, and highly caffeinated (thats how the Argentines are able to stay up so late). Maté is best when shared with others, but it is very common to see people in their cars sipping on some maté.  Yierba (herbs) are placed in a gourd-like container, and then filled with hot (never boiling) water.  Some prefer to add a little sugar, but many Argentines drink it straight.  You sip the maté with a straw called a bombilla, and you drink it until your portion is empty, at which point you pass it back to the server and they'll pour in some fresh water for the next partaker.  This can go on and on for hours, but it is so typical of Argentines who love to spend time with one another.  There are many different flavors of yierba, some stronger than others, so you really just have to try them all to find the perfect one for you.  When I first drank maté, I felt it all rush straight to my head, but I've grown accustomed to this now and love the tradition.

Last weekend, a group of us headed to Mar del Plata to join the rest of the population of Buenos Aires on vacation (there was also a free MGMT concert).  For lack of hostels, and trying to do the trip cheaply, we took a bus at 2am on Friday and returned at 7am Sunday, all of which translates to: no sleep.

I have never in my entire life seen so many people at a beach.  It seemed as though the entire population from Buenos Aires was there! There was not a spare plot of sand in sight, as even cars were allowed to park on the beach. The water was a bit too cold for me, but I'm told that if I go back in March, there will be way fewer people and much warmer water, so I just may have to do that.  But all in all, it was a lot of fun to hang out with all of Argentina.  Cultural difference: the bathing suit bottoms for women are thongs! Yeah, everyone knew I was from around these parts!  MGMT played right on the beach, which was a very cool setup. I made a couple of new friends during the concert who attempted to teach me an "Argentine dance," but I think they just liked to spin in circles.  After the concert, everyone on the beach had the same destination of returning to the downtown area, which made it literally impossible to find a bus or even a taxi back.  We waited for close to 2 hours to finally head back to the Mar del Plata's center.  I managed to lose track of my shoes before we left the beach, so I was wandering around barefoot for a good bit, until I found a girl from my program with spare shoes (a size and a half too small, but shoes, nonetheless).  Hilarious, looking back on it all, but extremely painful at the time. Ooh, the adventures are really starting to pile up. Once we finally made it back to Buenos Aires, I slept until 2pm, one of the greater feats of my life!

This weekend, CEA took us on an excursion to the Tigre, which is one of the largest delta's in the world! Wherever there is water, I am at such peace- I think I smiled the entire time we were there.  We took an hour cruise around one portion of the delta and I couldn't help but miss our old lake house at Lake Gaston.  Tigre could be fully functional solely as a water based community.  They had markets on boats, ice cream boats, and pizza places that delivered by boat (and maybe even made inside!).  I'd love to have pizza and ice cream delivered right to my dock!

Apart from cute "delta-side" houses, the Tigre also had a very extensive market, selling extremely cheap matés (I'll have to go back to get one). The market had everything! Fruit, churros, leather goods, woodwork, wicker furniture, clothes, jewelry- basically, anything you could want could be found there. We only had a little time to meander around, so I am definitely looking forward to returning soon- plus it was very easy to get to). Tigre also had a casino and a small amusement park (which Mary really likes, apparently).

Today, I wandered a little bit and ended up at the Recoleta market. Again, anything you could want was represented at the many booths.  Unlike many of the markets in the States, this one is open pretty much all day on Sunday.  Being an avid fan of street vendors, I enjoyed a fantastic pan relleno, stuffed with ham, cheese and tomatoes and sat down in the park area amidst all the booths.  There were a couple of different music acts playing, but I had to leave before the reggae group came on because it looked like the rain clouds were rolling in. But the weather beforehand was absolutely incredible; it was such a perfect day!

Only one more week left in my intensive Spanish course, and I'll have 6 credits under my belt for this semester! I think I'm going to start doing private Spanish lessons however.  I really just can't wait to know the Spanish language (although, I've noticed a ton of improvement just in the three or so weeks that I've been here).

So there ya have it- the latest of my Argentine adventures.  Until next time...

Besos,
Courtney