I'm coming up on two months before my plane arrives at RDU, and it's absolutely crazy to think I've been in Argentina for two and a half months already! The time has gone by so very quickly and January feels so far away. The next couple months will be filled with traveling around the different provinces of Argentina, making sure I spend adequate amount of time in my favorite places in Buenos Aires, and hopefully a trip to Chile. On Tuesday, I'll be boarding a plane to the Southern-most city in the world, Ushuaia. Glaciers, penguins, and the cold air await me!
To be honest, my classes here are a joke. While my business classes are interesting at times, I'm not of a business mindset so it's a little hard to fully comprehend. I certainly do not learn anything in my advanced Spanish class, so I have started taking private lessons which have been wonderful! My teacher is able to pinpoint the areas I need the most help in, and I really feel like I'm learning a lot from that setting. I am also in a culture and civilization class, taught in Spanish, which I was initially the most excited about. Apart from the cultural field trips we take from time to time, the class has been a disappointment.
On Wednesday, my culture and civilization class took a field trip to a tango hall. The dance hall offered a tango class followed by live music where people could continue practicing their recently learned tango steps, should they dare. I attempted to learn for a little while, but that dance is a very difficult thing to master! I was fortunate to have one really great dance partner, which really made my experience a lot more fun. I have to say, I prefer the faster rhythms of salsa dancing to the slow, sultry movements of tango. I enjoyed watching those who knew what they were doing though! The band that performed after our class was very unique. They were comprised of 3 or 4 bandoneons, a piano (honky tonk looking), an upright bass, a few violinists and a singer. Very unique sound, but also very tango-esque. It should be noted, as many Argentines will tell you, that the tango is specifically a Buenos Aires thing. Outside of that, folklore music and dancing is the national choice.
live music at the tango show
Now that vacation time is over, my family is all back together. To celebrate this, we had another empanada party this past Thursday. I've learned that a party with empanadas is called an "emapanada-iada," a party with pizza would be "pizza-iada" and with hamburgers, it would be a "hamburguesa-iada" and so on. Clever, huh? This time, there were about 25 people in attendance in our small apartment, and every empanada was eaten. This is definitely one of my favorite experiences here, as I feel so much more a part of the family and I really enjoy getting to know Mary and Loli's friends and family.
I finally got the opportunity to visit the MALBA museum (Museo de arte Latinoamericana Buenos Aires). I hear a lot about this museum, and it's unique collection of modern art, so it was about time I experienced it. Unfortunately, for all the talk it is given, I was a little under impressed. Only one floor was open for guests (there's usually two), which I scanned through rather quickly. But I will say, there were some pretty interesting works of art there. One was a paper maché model of a monster fish type of deal with a woman's body half sticking out of his mouth. Not sure about that one...
I had quite the alarm as I walked to school on Thursday: the block my campus is located on was gated on both sides, and lined with armed policemen. As I crossed between an opening in the gates, I found more policemen inside and a giant police van situated in front of my school. So in my mind, I'm thinking there was some sort of attack or dangerous felon on the loose. After talking with some of my professors, I found out that Thursday marked the 19th anniversary of a terrorist attack on the Israeli embassy located around the corner from me. Now, every year they have a ceremony of remembrance.
Sally, Stephanie and I were invited to a party by some friends who live in La Plata. So Friday, we took a trip out to the capital of the province of Buenos Aires. It is about an hour bus ride from Buenos Aires to La Plata, and as can be said for any city outside of BA, it was a lot calmer. Because we were really only there for the party, I didn't see much of the city, but I did manage to see the grand cathedral they have! I'm hoping to go back another day and do a little more sight seeing.
proof I was in La Plata
The party was its own experience. Our friend had a huge backyard, decked out with lights and a great sound system that made the place feel like a boliche. And of course, the party was on Argentine time- it started around 12 and it wasn't until 5:30 or so that people were kicked out. At first, everyone seemed to stick with their own groups of friends, but not wanting to be seen as "those Americans" (I already stood out for wearing a blue shirt with flowers on it, all the Argentines wore black, white or gray) we had to make our circle a little larger. We joined circles with a group of Argentine girls who we quickly became friends with. One of the girls is studying at least four different languages, so she loved speaking in English while we stuck to Spanish. Going to these parties is where I practice my Spanish the most, and of course dance! I don't know what I'm going to do when I go back to the United States and don't get to do either of these things as often.
Today, we walked around the San Telmo fair for a little bit, which is always filled with massive amounts of people. I love looking at the different vendors' handi-work, but I especially love to eat the food from the street vendors. Unfortunately, I'm feeling a bit under the weather (I'm blaming it on the changing seasons), so I couldn't enjoy the day as much as I would have liked. But we are attempting to make San Telmo a Sunday tradition, which I can't complain with.
no way a car could get through this street! (San Telmo)
It's getting to be mid-term time here, so I currently have a take home test I should be working on. I figured writing a little postcard would be better use of my time :) I'll write you again when I return from the edge of the world, but until then, I love and miss you all!
-Court
cute fruit stand I found in Palermo
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