soy, therefore i am.
American Culture Shock: Here, they have Doritos that are Cheeseburger-flavored and eat dinner at lunch time.
because in America, i need 145 ounces of my beverage.
SO, where are the empanadas? I will write a subsequent post on how much I miss Argentina/what I miss, but for now, I have to write about the experience of being new to my old life and the USA. The first and most readily apparent change for me is speaking to strangers in English. It's a bizarre concept to me that basically anyone anywhere speaks ingles. I have sorta forgotten how to have a mundane conversation with someone because my defaults are in Spanish. For example, when purchasing a pack of gum or bottle of water my first instinct is so speak in Spanish. This goes for bumping into people or excusing myself. In news of my overpacking disease, the people at CUSTOMS made fun of me for how much stuff I was bringing home. And United Airlines slapped me with $600 in fees. Ridiculous.
It is also bizarre to be using my cell. My American blackberry was reserved for data-use only ($5 a minute for phone calls is totes reasonable, right?). I miss my other little argie cell that is impossible to use and constantly running out of credit. I have no become the worlds biggest "caller" because my phone is no longer pay as you go and I have the leisure of speaking on the phone for extended periods of time. So, enough texting and bbming, I'm probably going to call you.
Everyones cars here are shiny and beautiful. I"m not one to notice cars (i know I drive a volvo, and thats about it, oh, its blue). There are serious jaloppys in Buenos Aires, to the point where I literally have seen cars pulling other cars down the street or even ones held together with tape. Really, with tape.
Let's talk about the food. Gross, enormous, processed, excessive. The Venti at starbucks is much larger here. There is an insane amount of food everywhere, but even worse, is that it's all processed. I was so used to eating the crap I ate before I got to Argentina I never realized that I had made a switch to unprocessed, simpler fare. And I can tell you right now I have been feeling very sick, and I think that's why. The amount of crap we put in our food, our enormous portions, and abundance of crappy snack food/diet drinks and products are murdering my stomach. Also, dinner at 6 pm is called lunch. Excess is a theme in the us obviously, and we just have so much STUFF. I came home and threw out/donated half the contents of my room, because I have realized i don't need all these THINGS. I lived for so long with less that it's just not okay and not necessary anymore.
It's bizarre to not kiss people on the cheek as a greeting, so I might just keep doing it to see how people react. And watching TV in real time, thats crazy. We have so many channels! This on-demand business is incredible. Although i get too overwhelmed and just go and watch tv on my computer. oh well. Nobody here smokes, it's odd. I kind of miss the smell, but not that much. The biggest change for me is the schedule - everything is so EARLY. I finished dinner at 10 pm. And the restaurant was closing. That's just sad.
Also, whereas in BA I always felt large because the women were teeny tiny, here I feel small. And I am so unmotivated at the gym - now I am surrounded by unattractive heavy middle aged pale people. Sorry, but Megatlon was tanned, toned hotties who liked to stand around and flex their butt muscles. Sigh. Any ideas for a new blog direction? I miss all of my friends so much. Te amo Argentina.
BESOS
mer
It is also bizarre to be using my cell. My American blackberry was reserved for data-use only ($5 a minute for phone calls is totes reasonable, right?). I miss my other little argie cell that is impossible to use and constantly running out of credit. I have no become the worlds biggest "caller" because my phone is no longer pay as you go and I have the leisure of speaking on the phone for extended periods of time. So, enough texting and bbming, I'm probably going to call you.
Everyones cars here are shiny and beautiful. I"m not one to notice cars (i know I drive a volvo, and thats about it, oh, its blue). There are serious jaloppys in Buenos Aires, to the point where I literally have seen cars pulling other cars down the street or even ones held together with tape. Really, with tape.
Let's talk about the food. Gross, enormous, processed, excessive. The Venti at starbucks is much larger here. There is an insane amount of food everywhere, but even worse, is that it's all processed. I was so used to eating the crap I ate before I got to Argentina I never realized that I had made a switch to unprocessed, simpler fare. And I can tell you right now I have been feeling very sick, and I think that's why. The amount of crap we put in our food, our enormous portions, and abundance of crappy snack food/diet drinks and products are murdering my stomach. Also, dinner at 6 pm is called lunch. Excess is a theme in the us obviously, and we just have so much STUFF. I came home and threw out/donated half the contents of my room, because I have realized i don't need all these THINGS. I lived for so long with less that it's just not okay and not necessary anymore.
It's bizarre to not kiss people on the cheek as a greeting, so I might just keep doing it to see how people react. And watching TV in real time, thats crazy. We have so many channels! This on-demand business is incredible. Although i get too overwhelmed and just go and watch tv on my computer. oh well. Nobody here smokes, it's odd. I kind of miss the smell, but not that much. The biggest change for me is the schedule - everything is so EARLY. I finished dinner at 10 pm. And the restaurant was closing. That's just sad.
Also, whereas in BA I always felt large because the women were teeny tiny, here I feel small. And I am so unmotivated at the gym - now I am surrounded by unattractive heavy middle aged pale people. Sorry, but Megatlon was tanned, toned hotties who liked to stand around and flex their butt muscles. Sigh. Any ideas for a new blog direction? I miss all of my friends so much. Te amo Argentina.
BESOS
mer
Falta poco...
I cannot believe it's my last week in Buenos Aires. Where has the time gone? These past 9 months have definitely been some of the best of my life, without a doubt. Coming here has been a great decision and a wonderful transition (read: denial) after college. I met amazing new people, Argentines, Brazilians, Uruguayans, Americans, and can't wait to see a lot of them in the USA.
I ventured to San Telmo on Sunday where I stopped to get a resaca helping empanada from Don Ernestos, a very famous restaurant. I immortalized my friend and myself by writing our names on the ceiling! The entire restaurant is covered in writing in a million languages from visitors who come to eat the steak from all over the world. Trying to buy souvenirs proved difficult - I really tried to buy unique items that are more of an "insiders" souvenirs from BA. I skipped the knick knacks and went straight for the incredible antiques. I bought vintage posters and childrens magazines, and I plan to frame the pages. I also bought vintage argentine road signs that I think will make really amazing wall art to remind me of my time here. I've also been walking around and taking lots of pictures of my favorite restaurants and locations to make a big collage when I get home.
I have stocked up on dulce and alfajors, but keep having to buy more because I keep opening the containers and eating it..
I'm trying to hang out with all my friends in this last week and really soak it up.
xoxo
mer
I ventured to San Telmo on Sunday where I stopped to get a resaca helping empanada from Don Ernestos, a very famous restaurant. I immortalized my friend and myself by writing our names on the ceiling! The entire restaurant is covered in writing in a million languages from visitors who come to eat the steak from all over the world. Trying to buy souvenirs proved difficult - I really tried to buy unique items that are more of an "insiders" souvenirs from BA. I skipped the knick knacks and went straight for the incredible antiques. I bought vintage posters and childrens magazines, and I plan to frame the pages. I also bought vintage argentine road signs that I think will make really amazing wall art to remind me of my time here. I've also been walking around and taking lots of pictures of my favorite restaurants and locations to make a big collage when I get home.
I have stocked up on dulce and alfajors, but keep having to buy more because I keep opening the containers and eating it..
I'm trying to hang out with all my friends in this last week and really soak it up.
xoxo
mer
Supermarket Sweep
ready, set, ALFAJORS
In Argentina, there is always a sale or some sort of "rebajas." I don't even really understand how or why this liquidaciones occur, but they're usually arbitrary and insane. Take, for instance, the supermarket sales. The Carrefour near me, about every second Sunday, half of the items in the store are 70% off if you buy one or more. I guess it is encouraging people to buy in bulk and stock up. I'm not sure why I took that as an excuse to buy 40 bonbons and 5 packs of oreos like it's going out of style...
In addition to stocking up on groceries and filling my apartment with unnecessary food products, I am beginning the large and arduous task of cleaning everything out. And, GASP, packing. I am leaving Buenos Aires and I am home in DC on May 9. And i couldn't feel weirder about it. I feel so detached from my surroundings - should I continue to invest in my life here? Or think about life back in the United States? I have such a mezcla of emotion, sad that I'm leaving, scared to be in post-college life NOT in another country (which definitely eased my denial...), happy to see everyone at home, and just, overwhelmed. I definitely am going to continue this blog the opposite way - chronicling my culture shock, because I'm sure it will be huge. What am I going to do when I have ice cubes readily available? Or everyone speaks english? or there are no mullets? I know for one thing that I will definitely make an effort to make Argentine friends and keep up my Spanish. It's something that's so important to me and I know i'll lose it if im not practicing.
I had a skype conversation with a beloved Spanish teacher tonight (advising her, sadly she's coming to BA after i leave...) And we shot the breeze, all in Spanish. It's amazing to me how far I've come. Where am I going next?
In less serious, less consequential news (well, actually...) I poured noxious chemicals on my hair to make it straight again. Gotta get my formaldehyde in before I depart.
xoxo
In addition to stocking up on groceries and filling my apartment with unnecessary food products, I am beginning the large and arduous task of cleaning everything out. And, GASP, packing. I am leaving Buenos Aires and I am home in DC on May 9. And i couldn't feel weirder about it. I feel so detached from my surroundings - should I continue to invest in my life here? Or think about life back in the United States? I have such a mezcla of emotion, sad that I'm leaving, scared to be in post-college life NOT in another country (which definitely eased my denial...), happy to see everyone at home, and just, overwhelmed. I definitely am going to continue this blog the opposite way - chronicling my culture shock, because I'm sure it will be huge. What am I going to do when I have ice cubes readily available? Or everyone speaks english? or there are no mullets? I know for one thing that I will definitely make an effort to make Argentine friends and keep up my Spanish. It's something that's so important to me and I know i'll lose it if im not practicing.
I had a skype conversation with a beloved Spanish teacher tonight (advising her, sadly she's coming to BA after i leave...) And we shot the breeze, all in Spanish. It's amazing to me how far I've come. Where am I going next?
In less serious, less consequential news (well, actually...) I poured noxious chemicals on my hair to make it straight again. Gotta get my formaldehyde in before I depart.
xoxo
From the Depths of Aduana Hell, Ezeiza Airport Dispatch.
My partner in crime/misery on our hellish experience trying to get our packages:
http://ebward.posterous.com/local-customs-part-three
http://ebward.posterous.com/local-customs-part-three
Everything's Cooler in Brazil.
even the dogs are cooler in Brazil (doggie on the beach in Copa)
So I just spent the past week in Rio, and I was very sad to leave. Rio is amazing. Everyone is hanging by the gorgeous beaches and everything is lush and there is lots of exotic fruit juices. I went with my friend D and we had a blast. We almost didn't get in - there was insane rains and flooding and the turbulence on the descent was terrifying. That aside, it was awesome. One thing that is definitely immediately apparent is that the people in Rio are much darker skinned than Buenos Aires. Everyone walks around in swimsuits and havaianas (where they originated). I also thought that because I spoke Castellano I would be able to understand Portuguese. No. I haven't felt a language barrier in a really long time, and it was very frustrating. Not knowing the language really is debilitating. It would have been so much harder for me to move to Buenos Aires if I didn't already know Spanish. Because all of my defaults - hello, excuse me, etc are in Spanish, it was hard to switch my defaults to English, which is what people in Brazil would know before they knew Spanish.
While we were in Rio it oscillated between torrential downpour and beautiful weather, so D and I basically became accustomed to running and being soaked all the time. There were several instances where all of my electronics were almost ruined, but I lucked out. My hair didn't fair so well. We spent most of our days lounging on the beach in Copacabana or Ipanema and buying Bahia bracelets, which are special friendship bracelets in a million different colors. There was such an interesting mixture of nationalities and languages on the beach it was fun to hear it all. There are little food stands on the beach that serve juices, but mostly just Caipirinhas, which are the national drink. They are cheaper than the water. You can tell that the Brazilian economy is doing really well, especially because everything was twice as expensive as in BA. The currency is called the Real in Spanish, but pronounced hey-ow in Portuguese.
There are two main foods in rio, Pao de Quijo (cheese breads, for anyone who went to Penn they are the amazing rolls served at Alma de Cuba...who knew it was so unoriginal!) and juice, called Suco. There are so many exotic, delicious fruits like Acai, Guava, Pineapple, Mango, and a million others. There are juice stands on every block where you can get fresh, delicious, cheap creations. There were a ton of fruits I had never heard of. We had some great meals, but one especially at a restaurant called Olympe. It was really really really fancy french brazilian, open kitchen, meeting the chef, Michelin stars, the works. We had about one appetizer each. It was really cool to meet the Chef who is some really famous Parisian.
We went out one night with a friend of mine to a bar called Academia, which is very famous for having the most varieties of Caipirinhas in the world. There was some crazy spicy pepper one that we tried that was totally revolting.
We took the funicular up to Pao de Acucar, Sugarloaf mountain. Its one of the natural wonders of the world and the views of Rio were unbelievable. I am so lucky to be able to travel to these places and see such breathtaking views and cities. Despite the rain, you could see for miles and miles and Rio really is breathtakingly beautiful. I want to go back and live there for a month or two and really get my lounging at the beach down. One special thing for me - Rio has froyo. Yes yes. Several different stores. I was in heaven, between the beach and the green tea frozen yogurt. All in all i loved Brazil and need to go back immediately. From now on I am going to just say that I am a quarter brazilian, on my dads side. Go with it.
xoxo
mer
While we were in Rio it oscillated between torrential downpour and beautiful weather, so D and I basically became accustomed to running and being soaked all the time. There were several instances where all of my electronics were almost ruined, but I lucked out. My hair didn't fair so well. We spent most of our days lounging on the beach in Copacabana or Ipanema and buying Bahia bracelets, which are special friendship bracelets in a million different colors. There was such an interesting mixture of nationalities and languages on the beach it was fun to hear it all. There are little food stands on the beach that serve juices, but mostly just Caipirinhas, which are the national drink. They are cheaper than the water. You can tell that the Brazilian economy is doing really well, especially because everything was twice as expensive as in BA. The currency is called the Real in Spanish, but pronounced hey-ow in Portuguese.
There are two main foods in rio, Pao de Quijo (cheese breads, for anyone who went to Penn they are the amazing rolls served at Alma de Cuba...who knew it was so unoriginal!) and juice, called Suco. There are so many exotic, delicious fruits like Acai, Guava, Pineapple, Mango, and a million others. There are juice stands on every block where you can get fresh, delicious, cheap creations. There were a ton of fruits I had never heard of. We had some great meals, but one especially at a restaurant called Olympe. It was really really really fancy french brazilian, open kitchen, meeting the chef, Michelin stars, the works. We had about one appetizer each. It was really cool to meet the Chef who is some really famous Parisian.
We went out one night with a friend of mine to a bar called Academia, which is very famous for having the most varieties of Caipirinhas in the world. There was some crazy spicy pepper one that we tried that was totally revolting.
We took the funicular up to Pao de Acucar, Sugarloaf mountain. Its one of the natural wonders of the world and the views of Rio were unbelievable. I am so lucky to be able to travel to these places and see such breathtaking views and cities. Despite the rain, you could see for miles and miles and Rio really is breathtakingly beautiful. I want to go back and live there for a month or two and really get my lounging at the beach down. One special thing for me - Rio has froyo. Yes yes. Several different stores. I was in heaven, between the beach and the green tea frozen yogurt. All in all i loved Brazil and need to go back immediately. From now on I am going to just say that I am a quarter brazilian, on my dads side. Go with it.
xoxo
mer
Shameless SELF PROMOTION: READ MY HUFFPO PIECE!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/meredith-fineman/a-little-more-tongue_b_524217.html
Celu Hell: The Sequel
So I wrote a little ditty before for my readers (hello all three of you!) about the hellish process of trying to pay my phone bill. That was child's play. As I described before, my blackberry got stolen on the Subte and Verizon sent me a new one. However, because they sent it FedEx it got stuck at customs at Ezeiza, the international airport. On Monday I spent 6 hours retrieving it in what can only be described as the most insane, illogical, ridiculous process ever. I made a friend who was there also for the hellish hilarity and i will link to his blog so that you can get another account of the absurdity that ensued. It went a little something like this:
1. take bus to Ezeiza airport, 1 hour away
2. walk around the airport compound for 20 minutes, asking 10 people where Aduanas iss, find the wrong place, find another place, walk into a room of about 200 men filing papers, feel awkward, leave, go to correct facility.
3. facility, that had about 10 people waiting in an area about the size of a pig pen, is closed for the next 20 minutes because all three employees are at lunch. all at once.
4. said lunch hour becomes said lunch hour and a half.
5. take number in line.
6. after 1.5 hours of waiting, get called in to office number 2, not number 1, you go to number one later.
7. show slip, enter into system, get papers.
8. go to office 3, then office 1, then bank to pay tax to the tune of $100 USD, go to office 2, office 1, office 3, get to see your blackberry, then resealed, then office 2, 1, 3, 2, and 1. this is not an exaggeration.
9. get said blackberry, get the eff out of there.
I am just not doing this story justice, please wait for further link to my friend in aduana hell.
In other news, it's a ghost town in BA re: xmas because of Easter. Semana Santa is a huge deal here and there is a giant exodus (but not of jews) to places like Mendoza and PDE (Punta Del Este.) I am excited because all of the easter chocolate eggs are 70% off. If you can find an open supermercado...
My friends and I had an amazing Passover seder that was loads of fun and made me feel at home. Everyone cooked fantastic food and we even had brisket!
I spent about $3 on a pack of big red gum today. Cinnamon isn't a flavor that is used here so it was glorious.
Going to Rio next week, get ready for some exciting chronicles.
xoxo
mer
1. take bus to Ezeiza airport, 1 hour away
2. walk around the airport compound for 20 minutes, asking 10 people where Aduanas iss, find the wrong place, find another place, walk into a room of about 200 men filing papers, feel awkward, leave, go to correct facility.
3. facility, that had about 10 people waiting in an area about the size of a pig pen, is closed for the next 20 minutes because all three employees are at lunch. all at once.
4. said lunch hour becomes said lunch hour and a half.
5. take number in line.
6. after 1.5 hours of waiting, get called in to office number 2, not number 1, you go to number one later.
7. show slip, enter into system, get papers.
8. go to office 3, then office 1, then bank to pay tax to the tune of $100 USD, go to office 2, office 1, office 3, get to see your blackberry, then resealed, then office 2, 1, 3, 2, and 1. this is not an exaggeration.
9. get said blackberry, get the eff out of there.
I am just not doing this story justice, please wait for further link to my friend in aduana hell.
In other news, it's a ghost town in BA re: xmas because of Easter. Semana Santa is a huge deal here and there is a giant exodus (but not of jews) to places like Mendoza and PDE (Punta Del Este.) I am excited because all of the easter chocolate eggs are 70% off. If you can find an open supermercado...
My friends and I had an amazing Passover seder that was loads of fun and made me feel at home. Everyone cooked fantastic food and we even had brisket!
I spent about $3 on a pack of big red gum today. Cinnamon isn't a flavor that is used here so it was glorious.
Going to Rio next week, get ready for some exciting chronicles.
xoxo
mer
Man, Thats a Whole Lotta Wata
this is a real picture i took! its that gorgeous.
Let me begin this post by saying that everyone must go to Iguazu at some point in his or her life. It was the most gorgeous I’ve view I’ve ever seen – enormous waterfalls, butterflies, rainbows, and unicorns. (All true except for the unicorns.)
I arrived in Iguazu and noticed immediately that the color of the land here is different from the rest of Argentina. The large iron deposits make the soil red. The humidity in Iguazu is unparalleled – I am here during the “cold” but its still 89 with actually 95% humidity. I stayed in a cute hotel with super panchos and a small pileta (swimming pool.) Since I was traveling alone I caught up on Millionaire Matchmaker and counted the geckos on the walls.
The first afternoon I walked to Hito de las Tres Fronteras, which is the intersection of Paraguay, Argentina, and Brazil. You can see all three countries at once, it’s amazing. The town of Iguazu itself is pretty shoddy and sketchy, lots of homeless and an odd mixture of tourists and locals.
Yesterday I spent the day on the Argentine side of the Iguazu. I made a cool new friend from London who SAVED my life by giving me her extra cannon camera battery because mine had literally died upon entering the park (DISASTRE.) We hiked all around the falls and saw breathtaking views. It was so amazing and pictures don’t do it justice. A friend described the vista like “Avatar,” and its prettier. We had a long day of getting soaked and eating terrible food, but it was one of the most beautiful things ive ever seen. Unfortunately the park itself has been killed by humans and made into a theme park, but the amazing natural falls makes it all worth it.
Since I didn’t have a brazilian visa I was unable to see the brazilian side, but I used being here as an excuse to get an expedited brazilian visa. I got a taxista to take me around who was very nice and turned into my fruit expert. His family is in the fruit business and so he actually took me into a Mercado and gave me a proper fruit education, or fruition. (hee hee)
All in all it was a lot of sweat but so amazing. Pictures to come.
Update: my driver back to the airports name was Mariaedi! That’s the closest to Meredith I’ve gotten. She was equally as excited. Also, I look like a tomato. Quemada.
Xoxo,
mer
I arrived in Iguazu and noticed immediately that the color of the land here is different from the rest of Argentina. The large iron deposits make the soil red. The humidity in Iguazu is unparalleled – I am here during the “cold” but its still 89 with actually 95% humidity. I stayed in a cute hotel with super panchos and a small pileta (swimming pool.) Since I was traveling alone I caught up on Millionaire Matchmaker and counted the geckos on the walls.
The first afternoon I walked to Hito de las Tres Fronteras, which is the intersection of Paraguay, Argentina, and Brazil. You can see all three countries at once, it’s amazing. The town of Iguazu itself is pretty shoddy and sketchy, lots of homeless and an odd mixture of tourists and locals.
Yesterday I spent the day on the Argentine side of the Iguazu. I made a cool new friend from London who SAVED my life by giving me her extra cannon camera battery because mine had literally died upon entering the park (DISASTRE.) We hiked all around the falls and saw breathtaking views. It was so amazing and pictures don’t do it justice. A friend described the vista like “Avatar,” and its prettier. We had a long day of getting soaked and eating terrible food, but it was one of the most beautiful things ive ever seen. Unfortunately the park itself has been killed by humans and made into a theme park, but the amazing natural falls makes it all worth it.
Since I didn’t have a brazilian visa I was unable to see the brazilian side, but I used being here as an excuse to get an expedited brazilian visa. I got a taxista to take me around who was very nice and turned into my fruit expert. His family is in the fruit business and so he actually took me into a Mercado and gave me a proper fruit education, or fruition. (hee hee)
All in all it was a lot of sweat but so amazing. Pictures to come.
Update: my driver back to the airports name was Mariaedi! That’s the closest to Meredith I’ve gotten. She was equally as excited. Also, I look like a tomato. Quemada.
Xoxo,
mer
That Time I Got All My Stuff Stolen
So unfortunately Buenos Aires is known for pickpocketing and theft. I had been very lucky and the second I acknowledged that I had gone 7 months without so much as a blip I got both my blackberry and my camera stolen in one day, in separate instances. Both happened so fast I had no idea it was even happening. I guess the only positive is that there was no violence invovled? And thats all they took? Many of my friends have had trouble with pickpockets and generally electronics of any kind dont fare too well on the mean streets of BA.
On a more positive note, its almost easter and passover. While the latter doesnt seem to be as big of a deal (in the more Jewish neighborhood of Belgrano it is...)Easter is the big kahuna of holidays here. There are a zillion chocolate easter eggs of every variety , even alfajor easter eggs. And chocolate bunnies galore.
I finally made it to the Eva Peron museum, after much hawking from my friends and parents. The museum is cool - a little eerie, because Evita is a national symbol but also is the subject of very mixed feelings. It was almost a shrine, and reminded me of the shrine to Princesss Diana in London. Altogether, it was a little creepy. I'm going to Iguazu this week which I am very excited about - lots of pictures to come. I spent three uneventful days at the Brazilian consultate trying to get my visa to no avail. Apparently I am able to do it at the falls itself, so fingers crossed...anyone wanna lend me a camera?
beso, mer
On a more positive note, its almost easter and passover. While the latter doesnt seem to be as big of a deal (in the more Jewish neighborhood of Belgrano it is...)Easter is the big kahuna of holidays here. There are a zillion chocolate easter eggs of every variety , even alfajor easter eggs. And chocolate bunnies galore.
I finally made it to the Eva Peron museum, after much hawking from my friends and parents. The museum is cool - a little eerie, because Evita is a national symbol but also is the subject of very mixed feelings. It was almost a shrine, and reminded me of the shrine to Princesss Diana in London. Altogether, it was a little creepy. I'm going to Iguazu this week which I am very excited about - lots of pictures to come. I spent three uneventful days at the Brazilian consultate trying to get my visa to no avail. Apparently I am able to do it at the falls itself, so fingers crossed...anyone wanna lend me a camera?
beso, mer
If I've Learned Anything in Argentina, It's How to Kill Bugs with One Hand.
me! i wish.
The mosquitoes and flies that populate my apartment don't know what they have coming. I'm sorry to PETA. But seriously the aggression of the Argentine mosquito definitely rivals the American mosquito.
In other news, it's getting cold again. Freezing. Given that I have been living an eternal summer I have zero threshold for cold. It's 68 and I am wearing a scarf and a jacket. I'm a little bit nervous for how I will fare in the next month or two...
I finally went to a tango show! I went with my friend JP who was visiting with his dad for his Spring Break. It was in the Faena - aka the swankiest hotel in BA, a little too cool for school but gorgeous. The show was partially burlesque and there was a hilarious number at the end where they sang "Roxanne." Actually. The dancers made like 45 costume changes and there was lots of smoke and fog and singing. I felt sorta like I was on a cruise ship. I had such a great time with JP and his dad - we had gone out to dinner the night before. JP's dad speaks very little English and so I was really happy to spend the meal practicing my Spanish. It's always so interesting to me what English words are adapted into the vocabularies of various countries - here its Top, Super, and the F word. In Panama, where JP's Dad lives, when asking for a drink on the rocks one says "on las rocas." Amazing.
In other news, now I'm only an hour ahead! I'm sitting in a cafe with my laptop (that i have to be extremely careful with) listening to No Doubt and Time After Time. They like bizarre jams from 1997. Wifi is actually very common here because many people do not pay for internet at home and just use it wherever they go. I feel like I could almost be at ABP in Huntsman. Sigh.
besos
In other news, it's getting cold again. Freezing. Given that I have been living an eternal summer I have zero threshold for cold. It's 68 and I am wearing a scarf and a jacket. I'm a little bit nervous for how I will fare in the next month or two...
I finally went to a tango show! I went with my friend JP who was visiting with his dad for his Spring Break. It was in the Faena - aka the swankiest hotel in BA, a little too cool for school but gorgeous. The show was partially burlesque and there was a hilarious number at the end where they sang "Roxanne." Actually. The dancers made like 45 costume changes and there was lots of smoke and fog and singing. I felt sorta like I was on a cruise ship. I had such a great time with JP and his dad - we had gone out to dinner the night before. JP's dad speaks very little English and so I was really happy to spend the meal practicing my Spanish. It's always so interesting to me what English words are adapted into the vocabularies of various countries - here its Top, Super, and the F word. In Panama, where JP's Dad lives, when asking for a drink on the rocks one says "on las rocas." Amazing.
In other news, now I'm only an hour ahead! I'm sitting in a cafe with my laptop (that i have to be extremely careful with) listening to No Doubt and Time After Time. They like bizarre jams from 1997. Wifi is actually very common here because many people do not pay for internet at home and just use it wherever they go. I feel like I could almost be at ABP in Huntsman. Sigh.
besos
Chorizo in a Blanket
WIN argentina
So I've hit the 6 month mark. It feels odd- seems like I've been in Argentina for a long time, but also for no time at all. It's hard to gauge how much time is passing because I've been in warm (read, HOT) weather since April. It's a bit disorienting, and I have to say, I think I miss my seasons. Divvying up the year and conceiving of it due to changes in temperature and foliage makes you savor the nice weather that much more. Basically, I'm a spoiled eternal summer brat.
It's no secret that Kirchner is not popular, but apparently people here call her the Botoxista (ha!). She really can't move her face.
I said my first goodbye to a close friend here. It was so sad- I removed her Argentine cell phone number from my phone and relieved her of body wash and Luna bars. The lifestyle that expats live here in BA, for the most part, is very transient. I'm lucky that my closer friends have plans to stick around.
I've never really cared that much about the Oscars, but for some reason this year I was very excited to watch. Maybe because I feel that my ties to American culture (except for constant refreshing of Gawker) are waning. My friends and I had an Oscar party, complete with ballots and PIGS IN A BLANKET! Props to my friend L for pulling that one out. Amazing. We freaked out at first when the show began dubbed, but we were able to turn it off. Phew. It's getting to be Pascua (easter!) and Passover time. Easter is probably the biggest holiday in Latin America and there are numerous dulce de leche filled eggs and bunnies. Maybe I'll host a Spanish-speaking Passover seder.
It's no secret that Kirchner is not popular, but apparently people here call her the Botoxista (ha!). She really can't move her face.
I said my first goodbye to a close friend here. It was so sad- I removed her Argentine cell phone number from my phone and relieved her of body wash and Luna bars. The lifestyle that expats live here in BA, for the most part, is very transient. I'm lucky that my closer friends have plans to stick around.
I've never really cared that much about the Oscars, but for some reason this year I was very excited to watch. Maybe because I feel that my ties to American culture (except for constant refreshing of Gawker) are waning. My friends and I had an Oscar party, complete with ballots and PIGS IN A BLANKET! Props to my friend L for pulling that one out. Amazing. We freaked out at first when the show began dubbed, but we were able to turn it off. Phew. It's getting to be Pascua (easter!) and Passover time. Easter is probably the biggest holiday in Latin America and there are numerous dulce de leche filled eggs and bunnies. Maybe I'll host a Spanish-speaking Passover seder.
Back to Escuela, in March?
Since the seasons are reversed here...its back to school week! In March, slightly bizarre. But all of the supermarkets have broken out the boligrafos and notebooks in preparation. Lots of Jonas Brothers, Hannah Montana, and Twilight supplies are on the shelves. Its so funny to look at which American television programs are popular among kids here. I guess you can't resist the universal appeal of three chaste (well, two now) tween boys and one definitely not chaste teen girl. Preseason for sports has started as well, and its amazing to see how popular field hockey is here for girls. Every day around 4 pm lots of girls walk home (or to?) practice carrying their field hockey sticks. Almost all the boys stick to soccer, a few to tennis. I played tennis with a friend of mine at a great racquet club. We played on red clay and were able to apply some of our tennis vocabulary. I wonder what club Del Potro belongs to...
In other news, my birthday party that two friends of mine graciously held at their sick bachelor pad went amazingly well. There was even beer pong. I stuck by the cupcakes. They weren't exactly magnolia, but not bad for Argentina. The cleanup wasn't too bad either, minus the three banana peels that someone decided were appropriate to adhere to the floor, slapstick style.
I went to a popular sports bar that Sunday to watch the US Mens Hockey final against Canada. Who knew there were so many canucks here? It was an interesting janqui rivalry to watch, especially during the tie-breaker.
There is also a shocking number of people in my neighborhood who walk their cats. What is this phenomenon?
In other news, my birthday party that two friends of mine graciously held at their sick bachelor pad went amazingly well. There was even beer pong. I stuck by the cupcakes. They weren't exactly magnolia, but not bad for Argentina. The cleanup wasn't too bad either, minus the three banana peels that someone decided were appropriate to adhere to the floor, slapstick style.
I went to a popular sports bar that Sunday to watch the US Mens Hockey final against Canada. Who knew there were so many canucks here? It was an interesting janqui rivalry to watch, especially during the tie-breaker.
There is also a shocking number of people in my neighborhood who walk their cats. What is this phenomenon?
I am fine, my thoughts go out to everyone in Chile. Besos.
Fairly sure I ate all of the chocolate in Bariloche...
one of 3 assortments i bought...for myself.
I'm lucky to say that all of my time in Argentina has been wonderful, and with all of that fun and sun and alfajors there had to be a bit of bad, just to even things out. This came in the form of my father getting sick in Bariloche and being in the hospital for 2 days. It was certainly an eye-opener: the state of private medical care (very good) in Argentina, and how incredibly hard it is to be a translator. None of the doctors spoke English, and my parents speak no Spanish. My dad is fine now - but the gravity of the situation has only just dawned on me. I am glad that I was with my parents to translate, but I cannot imagine myself in a higher-pressure situation: being the sole means of communication in a medical emergency with a loved one. I cannot imagine being a translator as a profession - in talks with world leaders?? So much can be lost in translation.
With the bad aside, lets now talk about the good and charlar a bit. Bariloche, aside from the incredibly feo situation, is drop dead gorgeous. Its a mixture of Italy and Colorado and even better because Bariloche is the chocolate capital of Argentina. I ate a lot of chocolate, due to the stress and its general yumminess. I sampled everything from chocolate covered cherries to lemon mousse chocolate to chocolate twigs. There was even a chocolate museum/factory where I took lots of pictures and ate samples. My mom and I were able to enjoy some of this beautiful part of Patagonia, riding the gondolas up the side of the mountain and the amazing vistas. At the top of the gondolas you can pose with San Bernardos (Saint Bernards) and its funny and slightly sad/exploitative.
Overall, I had a wonderful time in Argentina with my parents. It was so fun showing them my world - the empanadas, the crazy cab drivers, and the delicious restaurants. They especially loved the MALBA Warhol Exhibit, the Eva Peron museum, and meeting lots of my friends. I miss the clean air in Bariloche, it really was nice to get outside the city.
With the bad aside, lets now talk about the good and charlar a bit. Bariloche, aside from the incredibly feo situation, is drop dead gorgeous. Its a mixture of Italy and Colorado and even better because Bariloche is the chocolate capital of Argentina. I ate a lot of chocolate, due to the stress and its general yumminess. I sampled everything from chocolate covered cherries to lemon mousse chocolate to chocolate twigs. There was even a chocolate museum/factory where I took lots of pictures and ate samples. My mom and I were able to enjoy some of this beautiful part of Patagonia, riding the gondolas up the side of the mountain and the amazing vistas. At the top of the gondolas you can pose with San Bernardos (Saint Bernards) and its funny and slightly sad/exploitative.
Overall, I had a wonderful time in Argentina with my parents. It was so fun showing them my world - the empanadas, the crazy cab drivers, and the delicious restaurants. They especially loved the MALBA Warhol Exhibit, the Eva Peron museum, and meeting lots of my friends. I miss the clean air in Bariloche, it really was nice to get outside the city.
Only in Argentina...Guest Story!
This is a guest story from a friend that I thought you all would enjoy.
Today I embarked upon a typical morning in Argentina. However, when I took the elevator down to the bottom floor on my way to class, I never quite made it to the bottom. The elevator stopped abruptly, the doors opened to a brick wall. Yes, I was alone and stuck in the elevator. I then proceeded to incessantly press the elevator alarm. No response. I screamed for help. No response. Twenty minutes passed. Luckily, I had cell phone reception in the elevator. I texted my dear friend Alex Gutman who lives a few blocks away, she came running over. By the time she arrived a kind British man named Anthony had discovered the elevator situation. They found that I was closest to the fifth floor, and there was approximately a 7-inch gap between where I was and the 5th floor. The mechanics were “on their way,” but lets be realistic; this is Argentina and I was about to be stuck in the elevator for the entire day. And so, Anthony passed a ladder down through the crack and I proceeded to climb up and crawl out. At this point, there were a million things going through my head- What if the elevator started moving while my body was halfway out? As I began to crawl through, I found myself stuck at the chest area. If only my boobs were a B cup, life would have been so much easier. The pain was excruciating and I gave up. I crawled back down to the 2 by 2 elevator, claustrophobic and on the verge of tears. Attempt 3: I crawled back up squeezing my boobs into pancakes like a mammogram on steroids. Finally I got halfway through, my feet dangling in thin air. Next issue, I would have to get my butt and legs. It was physically impossible. Half laughing and half crying from the pain, I sucked in every inch of my body as Gutman and Anthony pulled my arms as hard as they could. I finally squeezed through the unimaginable crack. Covered in soot and black elevator oil, I had finally escaped. An hour and a half had elapsed. Only in Argentina.
Today I embarked upon a typical morning in Argentina. However, when I took the elevator down to the bottom floor on my way to class, I never quite made it to the bottom. The elevator stopped abruptly, the doors opened to a brick wall. Yes, I was alone and stuck in the elevator. I then proceeded to incessantly press the elevator alarm. No response. I screamed for help. No response. Twenty minutes passed. Luckily, I had cell phone reception in the elevator. I texted my dear friend Alex Gutman who lives a few blocks away, she came running over. By the time she arrived a kind British man named Anthony had discovered the elevator situation. They found that I was closest to the fifth floor, and there was approximately a 7-inch gap between where I was and the 5th floor. The mechanics were “on their way,” but lets be realistic; this is Argentina and I was about to be stuck in the elevator for the entire day. And so, Anthony passed a ladder down through the crack and I proceeded to climb up and crawl out. At this point, there were a million things going through my head- What if the elevator started moving while my body was halfway out? As I began to crawl through, I found myself stuck at the chest area. If only my boobs were a B cup, life would have been so much easier. The pain was excruciating and I gave up. I crawled back down to the 2 by 2 elevator, claustrophobic and on the verge of tears. Attempt 3: I crawled back up squeezing my boobs into pancakes like a mammogram on steroids. Finally I got halfway through, my feet dangling in thin air. Next issue, I would have to get my butt and legs. It was physically impossible. Half laughing and half crying from the pain, I sucked in every inch of my body as Gutman and Anthony pulled my arms as hard as they could. I finally squeezed through the unimaginable crack. Covered in soot and black elevator oil, I had finally escaped. An hour and a half had elapsed. Only in Argentina.
Oversexed and full of Funfetti Icing
Man I am far behind, and have lots to catch up on and lots to say.
I am currently on an airplane on my way to Bariloche with my parents. I can't wait to see another part of Argentina - I feel like I have no grasp of the different regions and mostly have just stuck to the BsAs colectivos and mullets.
Something here that is quite apparent to my friends and me is the lack of fidelity in relationships here. I'm not really sure why, but everyone here cheats on their boyfriend, girlfriend, or even spouse. It's not uncommon, and even stranger, its not looked down upon but almost encouraged. I was in a taxi a few nights ago talking to the cab driver, and it began like any other cab ride: a) where are you going, b) do you have a boyfriend. The boyfriend discussion then became a discussion about the joys of cheating, according to the driver. This casual attitude toward infidelity has popped up in other places during my life in BA - among Argentine friends who tell me that it's completely normal to cheat on your boyfriend, or even at work when a coworker asked me if i had ever cheated on someone. I found it a horribly inappropriate and offensive question (not that there are really boundaries for offensive questions here, sometimes from even strangers) but to her it was just a normal thing to ask. From what I can see, it seems that in the US there are fewer couples, but more fidelity. Nearly every one of my coworkers has a very serious girlfriend or boyfriend. Dating sites like Match.com or JDate here are completely obsolete because, as my coworker said, "i meet my boyfriends in all sorts of places, not on the internet." I wonder if online dating will catch on here - there seems to be such a culture around the picking up of women (who knows if this works? the cat calling, etcetera) that would not be communicated over the web. Although I don't agree with the cheating aspect, I do think that Americans sometimes have far too few face-to-face interactions. The gaps in technology here in Argentina really allow for more interpersonal interactions.
To stray from my diatribe on infidelity...I finished my job. It was really sad - saying goodbye to everyone, not being sure what to do with the rest of my time here (however long that may be, at this point I think I will be back in the US in May, but am not sure). I'll continue to spend time in the office, however, tutoring some of my coworkers in English. I'm excited to try to help them learn or continue learning my language instead of theirs. During my last week I did a bunch of translating and was able to finally realize how far ive come in terms of my spanish. Although I may not know all the words (its impossible to ever know all the words) I am very proud of my very Argentine accent.
I translated a few radio spots for a newspaper campaign (the newspaper is entirely about sports, 95% futbol obviously.) The TV and radio ads i worked on throughout my time at the agency were quite sexual and far more suggestive than American ads. Its interesting to see how much American advertising beats around the bush with sexual themes but has far more violence on TV than most other places. I know its said that Latino culture has a strong sexual personality, but I don't really think that the latinos are oversexed, I think that the Americans are undersexed.
My parents are here to visit me for my birthday! I had such an amazing birthday - I am currently wearing elastic pants from the amount of delicious food I ingested, and it was all around great. I did miss all my friends in the US - hi guys, I really miss you, but having my birthday somewhere else made me really appreciate the little things. My best friend and her mother joined my family for our birthday dinner at this restaurant called Tegui, which was delicious and cool and obviously impossible to find. The matre d goes, upon showing up 45 minutes late for our reservation, "didn't you see the graffiti outside?" Well sure but there is graffiti everywhere, how was I supposed to know it was trendy restaurant graffiti? My best friend got me probably the three best presents I've ever received - New Moon party favors for my birthday previa next week, Nips, and FUNFETTI ICING. There is no good icing in Argentina. Everyone who can, really should appreciate the icing youre given in the overprocessed undersexed land of America. I ate it to the point of neausea and it was awesome. My parents also brought me a suitcase of my favorite things - Orbit gum, a million American magazines, and Peanut M and Ms. It was altogether AMAZING and made me realize how much little things can make you appreciate home. We did the MALBA, La Cabrera, etc etc and are having an altogether wonderful time. Stay tuned for a celebrity secret guest blog post!
One thing my Dad remarked on is that Argentines really love the Simpsons. Los Simpsons, if you will. They're on everything from underwear, shown twice a night on TV on two separate channels, and are a general Argentine obsession. I really hope that Argentines don't think that all American families are like the Simpsons...Argentines learn so much about America from the movies shown on TV its frightening. Several Argentines have told me they just assume Americans are like American Pie! Which makes me nervous for both pastries and our reputation.
I brought a few of my Star Magazines and US Weeklys to the office and my coworker friends and I read them during lunch. It was so hilarious to try to explain to them what the spread "Stars, just like us" meant and why on earth it was of interest that yes, stars "do coffee runs at Coffee Bean." More really representative and depressing aspects of American culture.
My birthday was all around fabulous: thank you to everyone for all of the birthday wishes and near or far I love you all.
xoxo
mer
The other futbol (americano)
So last night I went to a superbowl party at an amazing apartment of two friends of mine. There was bean dip, gringos, guacamole, and…BABY CARROTS! I have never been so happy to be eating teeny zanahorias. It felt like home. Ive also never watched as much of the game…but the real reason 78% of people watch it is for the commercials. Unfortunately, the commercials here were not the American ones. So I had to watch Betty White being tackled on Gawker TV. I wish I had more updates: its still humid, I still eat chorizo regularly, and step in dog poop when people don’t scoop. Speaking of dog poop, Im considering getting a puppy. Yes, this is a terrible idea. But, I might anyway. If for no other reason than material/she can write a guest blog! My parents come this weekend, and maybe my 3 loyal readers will get a little HowFine blurb about the wonders of steak et al. (PRAY FOR NOT TOO MUCH SNOW!!)
OH OH I ALMOST FORGOT – FROZEN YOGURT HAS DESCENDED UPON BAIRES. Too bad it sucks. Also, someone stole my starbucks thermos at the office. Please give it back.
OH OH I ALMOST FORGOT – FROZEN YOGURT HAS DESCENDED UPON BAIRES. Too bad it sucks. Also, someone stole my starbucks thermos at the office. Please give it back.
Totes, obvio.
can i help you find the MALBA?
So, its a literal steambath in Buenos Aires right now. The weather report on my blackberry says about the same thing every day: 79 degrees, feels like 97. Whats the point of having a weather report if there is a 20 degree span of how the temperature ´´feels´´? In other news, my hair is stick straight. Glad I put some noxious chemicals in it. Given the sauna that is Baires right now, I tried to buy a new swimsuit. They´re all thong swimsuits here. I didn’t buy one.
I went to the movies last night and while the size of the candy is laughably teeny they have one genius product: SWEET popcorn. They sell sweet and regular and the sweet is like 10x better than normal popcorn. I think the gorda EEUU should adopt that.
Being that it is tourist season, I love helping helpless fanny-pack-map-toting Americans that I see. When my brother and I were at La Cabrera I told 3 different tables what to order.
My contract with the agency is ending and I´m here until April. Im looking for intermediate work (shout out to my 3 readers – know of anything?). But reason why you probably ought to be careful of looking for jobs on craigslist…this is a real email I received after I replied to a post about being a PA for a photographer/filmmaker:
hello and thanks for responding to my ad. Im a pro photographer here on assignment in BsAs to do erotic photo and video shoots with Argentina's travestis.
The job requires the person to contact the girls via phone and arrange shoots,make sure they will be on time and answer any questions they (or I) might have.
The person can do this job from home,but I am looking for a mature responsible person who will not let me down.It will require only a few hours a week of your time. This job may grow depending upon the persons performance and availability. The pay is negotiable and will be in cash.
Resume building, no?
I love to abbrev in ingles, and now I can sorta abbrev in espanol! Pq = porque, q = que, c = con, porfa = porfavor. Totes obvio.
I went to the movies last night and while the size of the candy is laughably teeny they have one genius product: SWEET popcorn. They sell sweet and regular and the sweet is like 10x better than normal popcorn. I think the gorda EEUU should adopt that.
Being that it is tourist season, I love helping helpless fanny-pack-map-toting Americans that I see. When my brother and I were at La Cabrera I told 3 different tables what to order.
My contract with the agency is ending and I´m here until April. Im looking for intermediate work (shout out to my 3 readers – know of anything?). But reason why you probably ought to be careful of looking for jobs on craigslist…this is a real email I received after I replied to a post about being a PA for a photographer/filmmaker:
hello and thanks for responding to my ad. Im a pro photographer here on assignment in BsAs to do erotic photo and video shoots with Argentina's travestis.
The job requires the person to contact the girls via phone and arrange shoots,make sure they will be on time and answer any questions they (or I) might have.
The person can do this job from home,but I am looking for a mature responsible person who will not let me down.It will require only a few hours a week of your time. This job may grow depending upon the persons performance and availability. The pay is negotiable and will be in cash.
Resume building, no?
I love to abbrev in ingles, and now I can sorta abbrev in espanol! Pq = porque, q = que, c = con, porfa = porfavor. Totes obvio.
Further Evidence that I am Insane.
something to aspire to.
So, depending on how well you know me you probably know that I've murdered my hair. Japanese straightening, blow drying, ironing, since about age 12. I'm genuinely unsure what my real hair looks like. Yesterday, I took that to another level. I did the brazilian "formol" treatment, which basically means a guy came over to my house, put a mixture with some formaldehyde in it, and blow dried my hair while wearing a gas mask. Its extremely popular and semi outlawed here in argentina, due to the toxic fumes. We did it on my balcony and I gripped a wet towel over my face like my life depended on it. My hair is stick straight, but the trauma remains. Because everyone in Argentina has at least 2 professions, it turns out that the formol man is also a semi professional kayaker and is going to take me kayaking in san isidro. Whaddya know.
In other less concering news, my brother was here last week which was delightful. Given his size I felt like I had a bodyguard trailing me at all times, which was nice. He bought me things for my apartment and we had a general blast. He even persuaded me to do two things here I'd never done before: walk along the ecological reserves, where there is a gorgeous rambla and fresh authentic choripan, and go to the Fortabat museum, which is basically the Guggenheim of argentina (the private gallery of the richest woman in AR.) I am hoping that he will do a guest blog about the 385 empanadas he consumed in the 4 short days he was here. The aerobed held up!
In other less concering news, my brother was here last week which was delightful. Given his size I felt like I had a bodyguard trailing me at all times, which was nice. He bought me things for my apartment and we had a general blast. He even persuaded me to do two things here I'd never done before: walk along the ecological reserves, where there is a gorgeous rambla and fresh authentic choripan, and go to the Fortabat museum, which is basically the Guggenheim of argentina (the private gallery of the richest woman in AR.) I am hoping that he will do a guest blog about the 385 empanadas he consumed in the 4 short days he was here. The aerobed held up!
And you thought Verizon was a pain...
Me estás jodiendo, Personal.
...then you´ve clearly never tried to have a cell phone in Argentina.
I have never appreciated hour long waits, faulty trackballs, or the little basket of lollipops in the Bethesda Verizon store more. It goes a little something like this. I can´t get a phone plan here because I am not Argentine. I got sick of the pay-as-you-go phones that are mostly favored by drug dealers (and my grandparents, who are only cookie dealers). Therefore, I asked an Argentien friend to get me a phone plan. It is under her name. Then, she goes MIA. I get a phone call that my bill was not paid for this month. I run frantically to the Personal center, where they give me a receipt to pay for the next two months. But, no! you cant pay for it there, you have to go to a Rapipago to pay for it (?). There is one in the pharmacy across the street. However, the one in the pharmacy is broken! So i go to the Rapipago center 2 blocks down. I take a number. I am numer 102. The ticker is on number 56. I have to be back at work. I go to another rapipago near my office, but, ITS CLOSED FOR THE SUMMER! Somewhere, on some beach, a cash register is getting a tan and listening to Summer Mix ´10 on an ipod. I then go to the supermarket, but they decided to stop doing rapipago, you know, just ´cause. I go to the post office, I am 1 peso short adn they dont take cards. I get cash...VICTORY!
...my service was cut off today.
I go back to the center. ´´We cant do anything, you have to call customer service´´ (??? HELLO YOU ARE THE PERSONAL HEADQUARTERS IN BUENOS AIRES). I call customer service. My line will be restored in 24 hours. Or so we think.
F M V
HUG YOUR NEAREST VERIZON REP AND TELL THEM HOW MUCH HE OR SHE MEANS TO YOU. And in the mean time, email me.
Another milestone in my pursuit of Spanish fluency: yelling at the Personal reps. No, not sorry at all. Not even a smidge.
I have never appreciated hour long waits, faulty trackballs, or the little basket of lollipops in the Bethesda Verizon store more. It goes a little something like this. I can´t get a phone plan here because I am not Argentine. I got sick of the pay-as-you-go phones that are mostly favored by drug dealers (and my grandparents, who are only cookie dealers). Therefore, I asked an Argentien friend to get me a phone plan. It is under her name. Then, she goes MIA. I get a phone call that my bill was not paid for this month. I run frantically to the Personal center, where they give me a receipt to pay for the next two months. But, no! you cant pay for it there, you have to go to a Rapipago to pay for it (?). There is one in the pharmacy across the street. However, the one in the pharmacy is broken! So i go to the Rapipago center 2 blocks down. I take a number. I am numer 102. The ticker is on number 56. I have to be back at work. I go to another rapipago near my office, but, ITS CLOSED FOR THE SUMMER! Somewhere, on some beach, a cash register is getting a tan and listening to Summer Mix ´10 on an ipod. I then go to the supermarket, but they decided to stop doing rapipago, you know, just ´cause. I go to the post office, I am 1 peso short adn they dont take cards. I get cash...VICTORY!
...my service was cut off today.
I go back to the center. ´´We cant do anything, you have to call customer service´´ (??? HELLO YOU ARE THE PERSONAL HEADQUARTERS IN BUENOS AIRES). I call customer service. My line will be restored in 24 hours. Or so we think.
F M V
HUG YOUR NEAREST VERIZON REP AND TELL THEM HOW MUCH HE OR SHE MEANS TO YOU. And in the mean time, email me.
Another milestone in my pursuit of Spanish fluency: yelling at the Personal reps. No, not sorry at all. Not even a smidge.
Lets Dar La Vuelta
Every time I am in a cab to my apartment, i have to tell the cab driver to ´´´dar la vuelta´´ or basically go all the way around the circle near my home (its beautiful by the way, playground, a church, etc). So I really did the vuelta. I moved twice in 48 hours – from my old apartment to my new one, which I hated, mostly because it wasn’t my old one, back to my old one. Turns out the girls who ere going to rent the place flaked. And now im back home. It was an emotional whirlwind where I hauled a lot of crap, but now I am back in my departamento. And now I appreciate it so much more. Except for the new family of flies that came during the 48 hours I left the apartment vacant with dirty dishes. I guess that’s what I get.Argentina/BA is known for being a cheap haven for tourists and expats, but the prices are really rising every day. Its visible in the grocery store, where about every two days know they remove all of the prices and put in new ones. Its really insane. In preparation for my brothers arrival I went to JUMBO and Easy, the Argentien Costco/walmart/kmart/home depot. I really felt like I was back in America – wide aisles, enormous appliances, 144-packs of Costco guacamole (I wish.) I bought a pool raft, which is clearly made for Argentines being that I can barely fit on it its so narrow, a pool noodle, which doesn’t support my body weight, and a small pool chair. I also bought an aerobed – for about $15. And its nice! I couldn’t get over the range/inexpensive aerobeds sold. I think I paid $120 for the one I have at home. So, Argentina has good aerobeds. In case you were wondering.
¿Como se dice Karma?
This blog entry is brought to you by Karma.
A) it is steamy hot in buenos aires. So while youre all in the USA reading this and its 35 degrees, just know that I am sweating. Lets meet in the middle?
B) Dealing with moving. In a Karma soaked turn of events, I was on my third trip hauling stuff to my new apartment and I got a call from the broker of my old apartment offering it BACK to me. Turns out the girls who wanted to rent it were hesitating, and all of a sudden ´´it wasn’t about the money´´ and they really ´trust me and want me to stay.´´ You actually have to be kidding me. Hasta la vista, baby.
Moving sucked. But at least it was only a few blocks and some friends helped me make trips of stuff back and forth. I have an unfortunately large amount of crap. I need to throw out about half of it. The new apartment is really cute – its much girlier and the furnishings are much nicer than my other one. But, its much smaller. I was too spoiled by my ginormo duplex. I was going to have a big party to celebrate getting the eff out of my apartment but then several nice neighbors got wind and issued some preemptive threats. So i have two enormous bags of candy and nobody to share it with while listening to reggaeton. Speaking of neighbors issuing threats...my ex enemy next door turned matchmaker set me up with her nephew. I was terrified to go on a date entirely in Spanish but it proved to be another milestone in my pursuit of Spanish fluency and I was able to keep up conversation the entire time. If you thought first dates in English were awkward...
On another note – the dogs here are really well behaved. I almost adopted one (thankfully I didn’t given the apartment fiasco). But they just sit patiently outside of stores and supermarkets waiting for their owners. Not barking, and not on leashes. I think Argentine perros adopt the Argentine style of life too. Que será, será.
I think I have a dulce problem. My name is Meredith, and I´m a dulce-holic.
A) it is steamy hot in buenos aires. So while youre all in the USA reading this and its 35 degrees, just know that I am sweating. Lets meet in the middle?
B) Dealing with moving. In a Karma soaked turn of events, I was on my third trip hauling stuff to my new apartment and I got a call from the broker of my old apartment offering it BACK to me. Turns out the girls who wanted to rent it were hesitating, and all of a sudden ´´it wasn’t about the money´´ and they really ´trust me and want me to stay.´´ You actually have to be kidding me. Hasta la vista, baby.
Moving sucked. But at least it was only a few blocks and some friends helped me make trips of stuff back and forth. I have an unfortunately large amount of crap. I need to throw out about half of it. The new apartment is really cute – its much girlier and the furnishings are much nicer than my other one. But, its much smaller. I was too spoiled by my ginormo duplex. I was going to have a big party to celebrate getting the eff out of my apartment but then several nice neighbors got wind and issued some preemptive threats. So i have two enormous bags of candy and nobody to share it with while listening to reggaeton. Speaking of neighbors issuing threats...my ex enemy next door turned matchmaker set me up with her nephew. I was terrified to go on a date entirely in Spanish but it proved to be another milestone in my pursuit of Spanish fluency and I was able to keep up conversation the entire time. If you thought first dates in English were awkward...
On another note – the dogs here are really well behaved. I almost adopted one (thankfully I didn’t given the apartment fiasco). But they just sit patiently outside of stores and supermarkets waiting for their owners. Not barking, and not on leashes. I think Argentine perros adopt the Argentine style of life too. Que será, será.
I think I have a dulce problem. My name is Meredith, and I´m a dulce-holic.
Annie Get Your Lomo (& Dulce)
The Musical.
M is not only my editor, but also my Argentine host, tour guide, personal shopper, translator, and eye make-up doer. I recently got
back from a week-long trip to visit her and it was one of the best times of my vida. I don’t think I can capture the whole trip in a few
paragraphs, so I am just going to write about the things that struck me most.
I arrived mid-day on Christmas Eve, and, after some minor airport confusion (my driver had a sign that said Allie Friedman…Allie, if you
exist, sorry for taking your car), got to M’s apartment in Palermo. Within a few hours, I found that much of what I had previously read on
this blog is true: alfajors are little slices of heaven, the gym is full of handsome Argentine “juiceheads” (shout out to snooks), and
mullets are all the rage. I also quickly learned the phrase that would come to sum up my first 48 hours in the city, “Esta cerrado.”
Literally everything was closed for Navidad, except for restaurants that required reservations and the purchase of a 5+ course meal. After
calling about a dozen concierges to ask for other options, we decided to feast on rice cakes and peanut butter instead. YUM.
In listening to M finagle me a free gym pass, call hotels, talk to cab drivers, etc., I was surprised and impressed at her level of fluency
in Spanish. It didn’t occur to me until I arrived that her whole life takes place in another language. Her Spanish sounded perfect to me,
and it was doubly surprising to hear the intonation of her voice shift to become significantly higher and lighter. Thank Dios that she did
speak such fluent Spanish, because otherwise I would not have been able to do anything. Most of the people that I encountered did not
speak English, unless they were tourists, which was the opposite of what I had expected.
I think the only non-English interactions I had in which nothing was lost in translation were those with Argentine men who, it seemed to
me, will try to woo anything with a pulse through a variety of cat calls. These include the following phrases/noises: que linda (meaning
how pretty- not thaaat bad), BON BON!! (it has a certain ring to it), and ch-ch-ch-ch-ch (just ?). While M has grown to appreciate this form
of flattery, I was completely turned off/scared. I only heard the aforementioned cat calls from randos on the street. In person, the
hitting-on process is much more enjoyable. My favorite was M's hairdresser telling me that I am sweeter than eating straight dulce
off of your finger, or something to that effect. That is just not something you hear in the States everyday!
Over the course of the week, I saw most of the major sites: Recoleta cemetery, San Telmo Sunday morning street fair, Casa Rosada, the
Obelisko, etc. We spent one full day in Palermo Soho, where I bought all of the leather and dulce de leche in Argentina. In all
seriousness, the leather is very high quality and relatively inexpensive. If M likes you enough, maybe she will get you some merch
and bring it home for you. On a related note, the steak is also insane. I tried three different parillas (steakhouses), and they were
all amazing.
There is so much more to say about my week, but it’s too daunting a task to go into more detail. Now that I’m out of school, writing more
than one page gives me anxiety. So, on a final note, I will say that going to BA was the perfect way to spend my “winter break” from work
not only because of the gorgeous (albeit humid) weather and abundance of fun things to do, but also because the pace of life was slower.
Perhaps that was only the case because I had no responsibilities and I was there during a peak tourist time when many Argentines had left the
country, but I just felt relaxed. Following M’s lead, I took my time doing everything. One afternoon, we randomly bought a watermelon, cut
it up and sat on the balcony doing nothing. According to M, that is a regular activity for her and it is not something I would ever do in
NY, even if the weather was nice. On a typical day, we slept until 2pm and still managed to have a full day since it doesn’t get dark out
until 8pm or later. It was a much needed and much appreciated change of pace.
So here’s a big thanks to M for having me. It was fantabulous. And I have a package for you, a little microcosm of America entitled peanut
butter and plastic, and I will put it in the mail as soon as you are officially settled in your new crib. XOXO, A.
back from a week-long trip to visit her and it was one of the best times of my vida. I don’t think I can capture the whole trip in a few
paragraphs, so I am just going to write about the things that struck me most.
I arrived mid-day on Christmas Eve, and, after some minor airport confusion (my driver had a sign that said Allie Friedman…Allie, if you
exist, sorry for taking your car), got to M’s apartment in Palermo. Within a few hours, I found that much of what I had previously read on
this blog is true: alfajors are little slices of heaven, the gym is full of handsome Argentine “juiceheads” (shout out to snooks), and
mullets are all the rage. I also quickly learned the phrase that would come to sum up my first 48 hours in the city, “Esta cerrado.”
Literally everything was closed for Navidad, except for restaurants that required reservations and the purchase of a 5+ course meal. After
calling about a dozen concierges to ask for other options, we decided to feast on rice cakes and peanut butter instead. YUM.
In listening to M finagle me a free gym pass, call hotels, talk to cab drivers, etc., I was surprised and impressed at her level of fluency
in Spanish. It didn’t occur to me until I arrived that her whole life takes place in another language. Her Spanish sounded perfect to me,
and it was doubly surprising to hear the intonation of her voice shift to become significantly higher and lighter. Thank Dios that she did
speak such fluent Spanish, because otherwise I would not have been able to do anything. Most of the people that I encountered did not
speak English, unless they were tourists, which was the opposite of what I had expected.
I think the only non-English interactions I had in which nothing was lost in translation were those with Argentine men who, it seemed to
me, will try to woo anything with a pulse through a variety of cat calls. These include the following phrases/noises: que linda (meaning
how pretty- not thaaat bad), BON BON!! (it has a certain ring to it), and ch-ch-ch-ch-ch (just ?). While M has grown to appreciate this form
of flattery, I was completely turned off/scared. I only heard the aforementioned cat calls from randos on the street. In person, the
hitting-on process is much more enjoyable. My favorite was M's hairdresser telling me that I am sweeter than eating straight dulce
off of your finger, or something to that effect. That is just not something you hear in the States everyday!
Over the course of the week, I saw most of the major sites: Recoleta cemetery, San Telmo Sunday morning street fair, Casa Rosada, the
Obelisko, etc. We spent one full day in Palermo Soho, where I bought all of the leather and dulce de leche in Argentina. In all
seriousness, the leather is very high quality and relatively inexpensive. If M likes you enough, maybe she will get you some merch
and bring it home for you. On a related note, the steak is also insane. I tried three different parillas (steakhouses), and they were
all amazing.
There is so much more to say about my week, but it’s too daunting a task to go into more detail. Now that I’m out of school, writing more
than one page gives me anxiety. So, on a final note, I will say that going to BA was the perfect way to spend my “winter break” from work
not only because of the gorgeous (albeit humid) weather and abundance of fun things to do, but also because the pace of life was slower.
Perhaps that was only the case because I had no responsibilities and I was there during a peak tourist time when many Argentines had left the
country, but I just felt relaxed. Following M’s lead, I took my time doing everything. One afternoon, we randomly bought a watermelon, cut
it up and sat on the balcony doing nothing. According to M, that is a regular activity for her and it is not something I would ever do in
NY, even if the weather was nice. On a typical day, we slept until 2pm and still managed to have a full day since it doesn’t get dark out
until 8pm or later. It was a much needed and much appreciated change of pace.
So here’s a big thanks to M for having me. It was fantabulous. And I have a package for you, a little microcosm of America entitled peanut
butter and plastic, and I will put it in the mail as soon as you are officially settled in your new crib. XOXO, A.
A small bump in the calle.
So much has happened I'm not entirely sure where to start. Firstly - I had a visitor! One of my bestest friends came down to Argentina to make the transition to dulce de leche, leathah, and pesos. It was so wonderful having her here - and made me realize how much my Spanish has improved. My friend spoke a little Italian and found it very easy to pick up words and phrases because they're so similar. I found myself using Spanish for the both of us and that I really had improved by leaps and bounds. We did all the usuals - Recoleta Cemetery, La Cabrera (oof, too much steak) and leather goods shopping in Palermo Soho. Stay tuned for more of her observations in a guest post. A was here over Christmas and let me tell you - NOTHING was open. Not even McDonalds. All of BA shut down.
Thus far, I have loved Argentina. But for all of the relaxed regulations and style of life, there can be a dark side. This week I was screwed by my landlord - my apartment was rented the week I was supposed to renew the lease, without my consent. And dealing with that was a nightmare. Not only did I feel like I was left high and dry in the height of tourist season and the holidays, but I really felt betrayed. I spent two of the days my friend was here frantically contacting brokers, and I did find another apartment. But it really made me think about the lack of an infrastructure here, especially when it comes to apartment rentals. Its very typical to rent apartments that are prefurnished for a short period of time, but it can also backfire - I felt like I had no rights. My new apartment happens to b e about 4 blocks from my old one, and coincidentally one of my best friends here rented the EXACT same apartment before i met her! Small, small mundo. I tried to get another apartment in my building - and by a bizarre twist of fate my next door neighbor with whom i feud over parties and taking out the trash went from my enemy to potential new landlord to then wanting to offer me therapy and set me up with her nephew. Only in Argentina.
As I was walking home from seeing my new apartment I saw a disturbing sight - small street children going to the bathroom on the street corner. As trite as it sounds, my freaking out over the apartment seemed petty in comparison to some of the real struggles here.
It doesn't really feel like Christmas and New Years - it's so hot! A happy, happy new year to all and more to come soon!! Feliz ano nuevo!
xoxo
mer
Thus far, I have loved Argentina. But for all of the relaxed regulations and style of life, there can be a dark side. This week I was screwed by my landlord - my apartment was rented the week I was supposed to renew the lease, without my consent. And dealing with that was a nightmare. Not only did I feel like I was left high and dry in the height of tourist season and the holidays, but I really felt betrayed. I spent two of the days my friend was here frantically contacting brokers, and I did find another apartment. But it really made me think about the lack of an infrastructure here, especially when it comes to apartment rentals. Its very typical to rent apartments that are prefurnished for a short period of time, but it can also backfire - I felt like I had no rights. My new apartment happens to b e about 4 blocks from my old one, and coincidentally one of my best friends here rented the EXACT same apartment before i met her! Small, small mundo. I tried to get another apartment in my building - and by a bizarre twist of fate my next door neighbor with whom i feud over parties and taking out the trash went from my enemy to potential new landlord to then wanting to offer me therapy and set me up with her nephew. Only in Argentina.
As I was walking home from seeing my new apartment I saw a disturbing sight - small street children going to the bathroom on the street corner. As trite as it sounds, my freaking out over the apartment seemed petty in comparison to some of the real struggles here.
It doesn't really feel like Christmas and New Years - it's so hot! A happy, happy new year to all and more to come soon!! Feliz ano nuevo!
xoxo
mer
We wish you a Merry Christmas and a small Pan Dulce
Oh Argentine fruicake, also known as ´´Pan Dulce.´´ My office gifted a small fruitcake to each employee. It was good, much better than American fruitcake and tasted like chocolate chip Challah. Im sure that was the intent. Everyone is in Navidad spirit here - there is a giant Christmas tree outside the mall, which even the thought of makes me sweat in the 80 degree weather. I wonder if Santa wears swim trunks and Nike split toe shoes here. Navidad and Año Nuevo here are much more family oriented than in the states. At home, the biggest parties are on NYE and time isnt really spent with your family. Every time I walk into Starbucks i laugh because somethign like White Christmas is playing. The humidity here is so high that even my hair is curling. There are signs for Frappucchinos that say ´´I wish it would snow.¨ More like Please Let it Rain So That I Can Stop Showing Up to the Office Looking Like I Ran 5 Miles. Kilometers here, but anyway.
I had one of my proudest moments in Argentina last week. I was at a bar talking to an Argentine guy friend and his Argentine friend asked me if I had family here in Argentina. I said no and asked him why and he told me that my Spanish was almost native. I almost hugged him. I did a little dance. But by then I had used up all of my perfect spanish and then probably mixed up fiebre (fever) and fibra (fiber) or nuevo (new) and nueve (nine).
So Ive written before about my gym - where all of the hot orange breast implanted six pack abs nudity Argentines go and work out. ´´Work out.´´ They mostly stand aroudn flexing and theres one especially tanned/cirugia plastica-d out woman who for two hours straight just does butt exercises, for show. Or for fun. Or because shes bored. Anywho, my gym, since it is full of pretty people, was teh place for a Dior Homme promotion (read: giant posters of Jude Laws face adn flashing lights near the ellipticals). There was a raffle for cologne, and I won! Awkward. I wanted to give it to one of the Argentine Orange Beefcake Mafia but I decided I would keep it for someone else (Nick do you want it?)
I spent a solid 20 minutes trying to explain Adderall to my coworkers, who thought it was both interesting and fabulous. Im glad some parts of America have remained there and not spread to overstimulate the mentes of people here. In other news, the only celebrity I know is Shakira here and she is in Punta del Este! So trendy. I have a visitor coming tomorrow so stay posted for a guest post!
xoxo ho ho ho (im not sure what santa says here, so lets go with hola hola holaaa)
I had one of my proudest moments in Argentina last week. I was at a bar talking to an Argentine guy friend and his Argentine friend asked me if I had family here in Argentina. I said no and asked him why and he told me that my Spanish was almost native. I almost hugged him. I did a little dance. But by then I had used up all of my perfect spanish and then probably mixed up fiebre (fever) and fibra (fiber) or nuevo (new) and nueve (nine).
So Ive written before about my gym - where all of the hot orange breast implanted six pack abs nudity Argentines go and work out. ´´Work out.´´ They mostly stand aroudn flexing and theres one especially tanned/cirugia plastica-d out woman who for two hours straight just does butt exercises, for show. Or for fun. Or because shes bored. Anywho, my gym, since it is full of pretty people, was teh place for a Dior Homme promotion (read: giant posters of Jude Laws face adn flashing lights near the ellipticals). There was a raffle for cologne, and I won! Awkward. I wanted to give it to one of the Argentine Orange Beefcake Mafia but I decided I would keep it for someone else (Nick do you want it?)
I spent a solid 20 minutes trying to explain Adderall to my coworkers, who thought it was both interesting and fabulous. Im glad some parts of America have remained there and not spread to overstimulate the mentes of people here. In other news, the only celebrity I know is Shakira here and she is in Punta del Este! So trendy. I have a visitor coming tomorrow so stay posted for a guest post!
xoxo ho ho ho (im not sure what santa says here, so lets go with hola hola holaaa)
That time my office end of the year party resembled a bar mitzvah/post prom/sleep away camp
Asinine talk show host or Argentine magician
So I was all jazzed yesterday because I had heard about my agencys holiday party. I assumed it would be like Christmas company parties – a few hours, cookies, maybe some punch and a raffle for tickets to Florida (not that I have any real concept of office holiday parties, because this is my first year out of college and ive never been working in December…) Anyway. I figured Id stop by and then go to a Hanukkah party that my friends planned. I asked my coworkers about how late itd go, started at 5, I assumed like 8 or 9 pm. Then I remembered I was in Argentina. And this was the response I got: ´´Last year it ended at 5 am, you could probably leave early at 1 if you wanted.´´ Only in Argentina. I then realized that I was one of the only one of my coworkers who didn’t have a giant weekend bag full of party clothes, swim suits, soccer clothes, hair dryers, and alfajors (that was just for emphasis.) We all rode on a bus 45 minutes outside the city. My friends and I sat in the back. I think this might be the middle school experience I never had. When we got to the event space, it was a large, beautiful house with lots of land. All the guys promptly changed into shorts and tee shirts and started to play soccer, and then jumped into the adjoining pool. There was a massage station and Wiis set up. Its funny I played my first game of wii bowling in Argentina. As it began to get dark all the girls sat around and then changed into their dresses.
It was all chill and beautiful and then 8 pm rolled around and everyone broke out the Fernet. We had an extensive seated asado dinner that featured a performance by ´´el mentalista´´ aka Criss Angel if he were an Argentine man who happened to look EXACTLY like Joel McHale from The Soup. He did several tricks that id actually seen on Mindfreak (blame random syndication here) and it was actually hilarious. Then we all promptly danced all night to thumping reggaeton and techno. Just your usual office function.
It was all chill and beautiful and then 8 pm rolled around and everyone broke out the Fernet. We had an extensive seated asado dinner that featured a performance by ´´el mentalista´´ aka Criss Angel if he were an Argentine man who happened to look EXACTLY like Joel McHale from The Soup. He did several tricks that id actually seen on Mindfreak (blame random syndication here) and it was actually hilarious. Then we all promptly danced all night to thumping reggaeton and techno. Just your usual office function.
Feliz Hanukkah!
como se dice latke
Happy Hanukkah to all! I was inspired by a friend to make my own menorah (throwback to 2nd grade) with washers and wood. Photos to follow. Upon re-entering my apartment I noticed a small Christmas tree in the lobby with blinking lights and decorations. To boot, all of the decorations on the tree happen to be blue and white. Apparently blue and white are only Hanukkah colors in the US and not here. Still amusing.
I brought back marshmallows for my coworkers (and little DC keychains). A few had tried them in the states but it was hilarious watching all my other coworkers ooh and ah and be grossed out after tasting their first marshmallow. One in particular made a face and goes "these are disgusting." Who knew marshmallows were such a novel concept! I tried to describe the idea of a s'more but that only just disgusted my coworkers more, who exclaimed that it sounded too sweet and too fattening. And thats just the tip of the American food iceberg. They shouldve tried Ben's Chili Bowl Chili Cheese Fries and then discussed the fallacies of the US.
Two nights ago I found a FEMALE cab driver! She said she just knows of herself and two other women, who form a fearsome threesome of fearless female drivers. She said she has a lot of personal clients, 90% of which are women. She told me that in Mexico there is a cab company that is driven by women and exclusively for women, which I thought was a great concept.
I had a pregame last night and was shocked that I wasn't yelled at by my neighbors. I then went to a party in San Isidro (near the water, outside the city) and ended up in a swimming pool. So nice to be back in the warmth.
I brought back marshmallows for my coworkers (and little DC keychains). A few had tried them in the states but it was hilarious watching all my other coworkers ooh and ah and be grossed out after tasting their first marshmallow. One in particular made a face and goes "these are disgusting." Who knew marshmallows were such a novel concept! I tried to describe the idea of a s'more but that only just disgusted my coworkers more, who exclaimed that it sounded too sweet and too fattening. And thats just the tip of the American food iceberg. They shouldve tried Ben's Chili Bowl Chili Cheese Fries and then discussed the fallacies of the US.
Two nights ago I found a FEMALE cab driver! She said she just knows of herself and two other women, who form a fearsome threesome of fearless female drivers. She said she has a lot of personal clients, 90% of which are women. She told me that in Mexico there is a cab company that is driven by women and exclusively for women, which I thought was a great concept.
I had a pregame last night and was shocked that I wasn't yelled at by my neighbors. I then went to a party in San Isidro (near the water, outside the city) and ended up in a swimming pool. So nice to be back in the warmth.
The Big Manzana and Kissing People I Dont Know
I am currently sky-writing: blogging on the flight from DC to Miami. Overall it was great being back in the states, just really really FRIO. Also - I'm not sure how everyone at home deals with the lack of natural light. I felt like a Cullen for a week. I'm pretty sure all I did when I was at home was eat. There is so much selection! You can eat whatever you want! And its all in enormous portions! I had a blast seeing a bunch of my friends in New York - it was an odd sight though to see people taking shots (nobody in Argentina takes shots.) Leave it to Americans to love a way to get alcohol into their bloodstreams as pronto as possible.
There was snow on the ground most of the time I was in DC. A very odd sight. I went to a holiday party at an embassy and kept having to remember to shake peoples hands instead of kiss them. I would half lean in and then awkwardly stick out my hand. For the first time in my life i bought little DC souvenirs for my coworkers and Argentine friends. Too bad I can't bring them King Size Kit Kat bars or something really representative. I also bought about 10 magazines and an Edward Cullen bookmark. I love America.
There was snow on the ground most of the time I was in DC. A very odd sight. I went to a holiday party at an embassy and kept having to remember to shake peoples hands instead of kiss them. I would half lean in and then awkwardly stick out my hand. For the first time in my life i bought little DC souvenirs for my coworkers and Argentine friends. Too bad I can't bring them King Size Kit Kat bars or something really representative. I also bought about 10 magazines and an Edward Cullen bookmark. I love America.
Bright Lights, Big Ciudad.
I’m doing a bit of a switcheroo and blogging from los Estados Unidos, on an Amtrak train no less. Being home is actually less weird than I thought it would be. I find myself thinking in Spanish, however. I keep being about to speak to a cab driver or a waiter and realizing that they speak English. I don’t really understand how any person from South America or another less developed country came to America and coped. I still can’t get over how big, bright and loud everything is. I walked around JFK just aghast at the sheer variety of goods, especially food. We have so many different kinds of snack food! And the variety of restaurants – how could one place need so many different eating establishments? Where are the alfajors? Nothing shocked me as much as the sheer volume of STUFF that I encountered upon being home. I think I miss the slowness and simplicity of Argentina. I went to a screening of Up in the Air (INCREIBLE!) and laughed at the size of the water bottle I bought. When I bring a large bottle of water to the office in Argentina (where unlike Americans they don’t fixate on this idea of extreme hydration) people will comment and ask if I am especially thirsty. Also, is 64 ounces of soda necessary?
I cant get over how on-time everything is here. When there was a 15 minute delay for my second flight to DC, the flight attendant apologized. I don’t think anything has been that on time for me in 4 months.
For some reason I cant stop paying for things in exact change. Its very odd. Argentina is a cash culture and I think ive gotten used to it.
It is also freezing in the EEUU. I went to see my ex-Spanish teacher. She said I sound like an Argentine. At least im doing something right. That along with eating frozen yogurt in a down coat.
I cant get over how on-time everything is here. When there was a 15 minute delay for my second flight to DC, the flight attendant apologized. I don’t think anything has been that on time for me in 4 months.
For some reason I cant stop paying for things in exact change. Its very odd. Argentina is a cash culture and I think ive gotten used to it.
It is also freezing in the EEUU. I went to see my ex-Spanish teacher. She said I sound like an Argentine. At least im doing something right. That along with eating frozen yogurt in a down coat.
That time i was almost trampled.
So two friends and I made our first concert venture (post Creamfields cancel) to Manu Chao, who I can only describe as the Spanish Bob Marley. In all senses of the word. The concert was so far outside the city that our cab driver warned us about being safe and watching our belongings. If this was coming from an Argentine cab driver, who I’m sorry to say are known for swapping fake money and being sketchy in general, we were slightly jodido. When we got to the venue there were rastas galore and lots of Jamacan flags. There were a solid 5,000 people there. I can’t really communicate how packed it was but lets just say we were behind a barbed wire fence and I got intimate with a sweaty rasta, not by choice. The music was great but we were so scared for our vidas that it was pretty hard to enjoy the concert. We fled before the second encore and were lucky enough to grab a cab. Being in the boonies, we stumbled upon a little family-owned kitsch filled Argentine Italian restaurant. I thought it was so great to be in this little dive with black and white photos of families on the walls. Sometimes we’re wrapped up in the trendy restaurants of Palermo that we don’t ever really see families. It was a nice sight.
A note to my 4 loyal readers: now that my hard drive is fixed, i will update more often.
Uruguay: Argentina, but chill.
sad.
So I finally left Buenos Aires. I decided that after three months of the concrete jungle, lined with alfajors, I needed a break. I decided to go to the famed Hamptons-esque beach called Punta del Este. It wasn’t a total success, but I came back in one piece…
I took a ferry to Colonia, and then a bus to Montevideo, Uruguay (adding a new stamp in my pasaporte). Thank goodness I had a friend who was going too, because I totally mistimed the trip and thought it was about 2 hours shorter than it ended up being. We drove from Montevideo to Punta, and got in around 3 am. So much for my relaxing, simple solo journey. Punta, however, is gorgeous. Come January, in the height of tourist season, its apparently the scene of all scenes and so packed on the beaches that you can´t move among the Argentine elite and celebz. There are about 5 different beaches in punta, and because of some ecological thing I don’t understand some of them are totally calm and some of them have the best waves in the world. There are lots of chill surfer dudes and chill uruguayan dudes who want to be surfer dudes. I want to be an Uruguayan surfer chick but Id say im pretty far from achieving eternal zen with the waves, let alone not having ice cubes in my iced coffee.
As I made my way on the bolt bus of Uruguay to Montevideo from Colonia, I passed by the ghettos of Uruguay. They´re small slum shacks for miles, packed with families living in extreme poverty. Children playing in the streets and people on motos or bnikes sans helmets were a reminder that not everything is dulce de leche sweet here. That being said, I had a great weekend with my friend. He showed me all around punta and his tech savvy nature allowed us to listen to dc radio while in a car in urugay. That was pretty trippy - to hear ads for Mattress Discounters while in rural Uruguay. The world is getting increasingly small. Unfortunately his tech savvy cant salvage my dead as a doormat hard drive. I take my computer for granted.
The trip back felt like a trip home. It was my first time coming back to BA and it had the familiarity that it didn’t have before, its almost starting to feel like my own. There of course was also no sun the entire weekend. And the sun was coming out just as I was leaving. Oh well, pooooor me.
I did have a celeb sighting (only because my friend told me who it was) essentially the John Frieda of Argentina. Exciting stuff. Punta is very highly commercialized and some of the beaches are named after brands. Yes, there is a Fox Sports beach. And a Visa beach. Im glad that even the most natural and gorgeous of locations in remote places in the world can bear the name of defunct television channels and credit cards.
On the way back I got to spend a little bit of time in Montevideo, which is sort of like BA but far chiller. There is a Rambla, or a boardwalk that lines the water. Everyone sits on the Rambla drinking mate and chilling out.
Another general observation- chivalry here is not dead. Yes men scream at you from cars, shop windows, streetcorners, or parks, but you would never see a man getting into an elevator before a woman, or not holding a door, be it after he cat-called her and said something like ´youre the most beautiful woman ive ever seen want to get into my car and share an alfajor.´ The men that ive encounted are real gentlemean in a way that I don´t think exists in the us anymore.
Thanksgiving is coming up and I keep forgetting. Not sure what im going to do, but please eat stuffing for me. And Im home in a week!
xox
I took a ferry to Colonia, and then a bus to Montevideo, Uruguay (adding a new stamp in my pasaporte). Thank goodness I had a friend who was going too, because I totally mistimed the trip and thought it was about 2 hours shorter than it ended up being. We drove from Montevideo to Punta, and got in around 3 am. So much for my relaxing, simple solo journey. Punta, however, is gorgeous. Come January, in the height of tourist season, its apparently the scene of all scenes and so packed on the beaches that you can´t move among the Argentine elite and celebz. There are about 5 different beaches in punta, and because of some ecological thing I don’t understand some of them are totally calm and some of them have the best waves in the world. There are lots of chill surfer dudes and chill uruguayan dudes who want to be surfer dudes. I want to be an Uruguayan surfer chick but Id say im pretty far from achieving eternal zen with the waves, let alone not having ice cubes in my iced coffee.
As I made my way on the bolt bus of Uruguay to Montevideo from Colonia, I passed by the ghettos of Uruguay. They´re small slum shacks for miles, packed with families living in extreme poverty. Children playing in the streets and people on motos or bnikes sans helmets were a reminder that not everything is dulce de leche sweet here. That being said, I had a great weekend with my friend. He showed me all around punta and his tech savvy nature allowed us to listen to dc radio while in a car in urugay. That was pretty trippy - to hear ads for Mattress Discounters while in rural Uruguay. The world is getting increasingly small. Unfortunately his tech savvy cant salvage my dead as a doormat hard drive. I take my computer for granted.
The trip back felt like a trip home. It was my first time coming back to BA and it had the familiarity that it didn’t have before, its almost starting to feel like my own. There of course was also no sun the entire weekend. And the sun was coming out just as I was leaving. Oh well, pooooor me.
I did have a celeb sighting (only because my friend told me who it was) essentially the John Frieda of Argentina. Exciting stuff. Punta is very highly commercialized and some of the beaches are named after brands. Yes, there is a Fox Sports beach. And a Visa beach. Im glad that even the most natural and gorgeous of locations in remote places in the world can bear the name of defunct television channels and credit cards.
On the way back I got to spend a little bit of time in Montevideo, which is sort of like BA but far chiller. There is a Rambla, or a boardwalk that lines the water. Everyone sits on the Rambla drinking mate and chilling out.
Another general observation- chivalry here is not dead. Yes men scream at you from cars, shop windows, streetcorners, or parks, but you would never see a man getting into an elevator before a woman, or not holding a door, be it after he cat-called her and said something like ´youre the most beautiful woman ive ever seen want to get into my car and share an alfajor.´ The men that ive encounted are real gentlemean in a way that I don´t think exists in the us anymore.
Thanksgiving is coming up and I keep forgetting. Not sure what im going to do, but please eat stuffing for me. And Im home in a week!
xox
The quest for the juciest alfajor, monedas, and men without rat-tails.
woof.
The TV here is erratic at best. I'm not really sure how they decide to translate what they decide to translate, but I've watched Notting Hill and Blue Crush four times. They love the Simpsons here, but Family Guy is dubbed so that Stewie has no British accent! (i think ive said that before...but really its about half the humor.)
I went out last week in an area of BA called Las Canitas (where I wrote about before, has polo fields and smells like horsey poop.) I think there was probably the largest per square foot amount of plastic surgery I've seen yet, mostly on "gatos" (means cats) aka cougars.
As I'm starting to learn about the celebz here, I am buying Caras (faces) to keep apprised of all the important happenings. One area where Argentine magazines really skimp is the photoshoots. Not only are said actresses/models etc in significantly more provocative poses, but the photography is amateur at best. I think my favorite thus far is of a famous actress, almost topless, hovering over heads of lettuce in the supermarket (picture to follow.)
One very exciting thing for me is seeing some of the ads I worked on on TV, during a break for the fourth time The Holiday has aired in a given week. I'm lucky to be working in a profession right now where the fruits of my labor is apparently visible and immediate!
I am on a quest to find the perfect alfajor. Alfajors, as I discussed before, are dulce de leche sandwiches/cookiewiches. They can also be in oreo type cookie form. But I am on a quest. Mostly for the alfajor with the most about of dulce de leche in the center. I have crowned a temporary winner, as this is a daily preocupation, at a place called BAkery (clever! English pun! Has to have been started by native speakers).
I am also on a quest to find the most offensive hairstyle. That is much harder - not only do most men here favor the mullet (empresa in the front, fiesta in the back) but there are so many amazing combinations of mullet that also include rasta (dreadlocks.) You see a perfectly looking argentine man, and then he turns around and BAM he has 1-3 dreadlocken/rattails and you want to heave. A friend and I have a plan to walk around the city with scissors snipping the ridiculous one dreadlock. I just don't get it. Its heinous.
As I said before BA has a falta of monedas, a lack of change. This makes it extremely difficult to find change in any form. I bought a necklace in the San Telmo market that is a cut out peso. It makes for a cute charm on my neck but also makes me realize where all of the monedas I need to buy my juicy alfajore are going.
We're getting really close to the opening of Benihana (!!!!!!!!!) Its going to be interesting watching Argentina try to imitate America imitating Japan. There are Argentine women in Kimonos .
I love the food adn drinks in meetings here. If its a morning meeting we have media lunas (croissants, literally means half moons) of two varieties - smaller and more compact, crunchier, and the regular fatter ones with a little sweetening on top. And coke. Diet and regular, but all of the women here drink regular coke (SHOCKING!) If its an afternoon meeting, there are little sandwiches with jamon and queso, 3 pieces of bread, so that the ham and the cheese dont touch. Peculiar.
Since the climate here is ass-backwards, its hilarious to see Christmas decorations begin. ´White Christmas´ was playing today in Starbucks, with little xmas trees everywhere. It might be 85 degrees outside. There are adverts for Frappuccinos (which are wildly popular here because Sbux is a novelty) that say ´I wish it would snow.´ Couldnt be farther from snowing.
It is very apparent to me here that people do a lot with very little to work with. Basically everyone sells something, from clothing to candies to peanuts on the street. There is a saying that translates to: everything can be fixed with a bit of wire. I saw that first hand when I broke my sandal in the gym and asked for a safety pin. Instead, the coat-check woman (yes, there is a coat check in the locker room?) took my shoe and literally stapled it together. It is serving its purpose. Sorry Ms. Von Furstenberg.
Iwent to an ´´after office´happy hour last night. Obviously, its in a night club. Its also from 7 pm-2 am. Argentinas idea of keeping it tame. My friends and I met a few Spaniards and I couldnt get over how ridiculous their accent sounded! Its funny to me to think that i used to sound like that, using the thhhhhh and saying vale all the time.
In other news, my computer is broken. FMV.
In better news, NEW MOON is out here ALREADY suckas. already saw it. Crepusculo (twilight.) There is ´´te amo´scrawled all over the posters. Twihards, unimos.
I went out last week in an area of BA called Las Canitas (where I wrote about before, has polo fields and smells like horsey poop.) I think there was probably the largest per square foot amount of plastic surgery I've seen yet, mostly on "gatos" (means cats) aka cougars.
As I'm starting to learn about the celebz here, I am buying Caras (faces) to keep apprised of all the important happenings. One area where Argentine magazines really skimp is the photoshoots. Not only are said actresses/models etc in significantly more provocative poses, but the photography is amateur at best. I think my favorite thus far is of a famous actress, almost topless, hovering over heads of lettuce in the supermarket (picture to follow.)
One very exciting thing for me is seeing some of the ads I worked on on TV, during a break for the fourth time The Holiday has aired in a given week. I'm lucky to be working in a profession right now where the fruits of my labor is apparently visible and immediate!
I am on a quest to find the perfect alfajor. Alfajors, as I discussed before, are dulce de leche sandwiches/cookiewiches. They can also be in oreo type cookie form. But I am on a quest. Mostly for the alfajor with the most about of dulce de leche in the center. I have crowned a temporary winner, as this is a daily preocupation, at a place called BAkery (clever! English pun! Has to have been started by native speakers).
I am also on a quest to find the most offensive hairstyle. That is much harder - not only do most men here favor the mullet (empresa in the front, fiesta in the back) but there are so many amazing combinations of mullet that also include rasta (dreadlocks.) You see a perfectly looking argentine man, and then he turns around and BAM he has 1-3 dreadlocken/rattails and you want to heave. A friend and I have a plan to walk around the city with scissors snipping the ridiculous one dreadlock. I just don't get it. Its heinous.
As I said before BA has a falta of monedas, a lack of change. This makes it extremely difficult to find change in any form. I bought a necklace in the San Telmo market that is a cut out peso. It makes for a cute charm on my neck but also makes me realize where all of the monedas I need to buy my juicy alfajore are going.
We're getting really close to the opening of Benihana (!!!!!!!!!) Its going to be interesting watching Argentina try to imitate America imitating Japan. There are Argentine women in Kimonos .
I love the food adn drinks in meetings here. If its a morning meeting we have media lunas (croissants, literally means half moons) of two varieties - smaller and more compact, crunchier, and the regular fatter ones with a little sweetening on top. And coke. Diet and regular, but all of the women here drink regular coke (SHOCKING!) If its an afternoon meeting, there are little sandwiches with jamon and queso, 3 pieces of bread, so that the ham and the cheese dont touch. Peculiar.
Since the climate here is ass-backwards, its hilarious to see Christmas decorations begin. ´White Christmas´ was playing today in Starbucks, with little xmas trees everywhere. It might be 85 degrees outside. There are adverts for Frappuccinos (which are wildly popular here because Sbux is a novelty) that say ´I wish it would snow.´ Couldnt be farther from snowing.
It is very apparent to me here that people do a lot with very little to work with. Basically everyone sells something, from clothing to candies to peanuts on the street. There is a saying that translates to: everything can be fixed with a bit of wire. I saw that first hand when I broke my sandal in the gym and asked for a safety pin. Instead, the coat-check woman (yes, there is a coat check in the locker room?) took my shoe and literally stapled it together. It is serving its purpose. Sorry Ms. Von Furstenberg.
Iwent to an ´´after office´happy hour last night. Obviously, its in a night club. Its also from 7 pm-2 am. Argentinas idea of keeping it tame. My friends and I met a few Spaniards and I couldnt get over how ridiculous their accent sounded! Its funny to me to think that i used to sound like that, using the thhhhhh and saying vale all the time.
In other news, my computer is broken. FMV.
In better news, NEW MOON is out here ALREADY suckas. already saw it. Crepusculo (twilight.) There is ´´te amo´scrawled all over the posters. Twihards, unimos.
You know you're not in America anymore when...
...you offer an extra McDonalds sundae to a coworker's 8 year old child and he REFUSES it. One of the more shocking things ive experienced here. Differences in culture are also so pronounced here among children. I have yet to see a child of any age with a cell phone, game boy, any form of an electronic. In addition to being an expensive indulgence, i think that childhood is preserved here in a way that in America it is not. Kids are really kids - and doing the simplest things. Whenever I see younger kids playing in parks or in the mall, etc its with less and with more enthusiasm. We should learn from that.
In the office this week we had a presentation about upcoming trends. I was thinking about it a lot because Argentina is just getting on the "environmentally friendly" train and is very far behind other countries. I think mostly because when so many people here have to worry about their next meal and providing for their families, they couldnt care less about the number of plastic bags they're using. I bought a special eco-friendly bag that was being offered in the big supermarket nearby in an effort to try a little. They offer a discount with the purchase of the special eco friendly grocery tote but naturally it was defunct and didnt work. I bought the bag anyway.
I had a very interesting meeting with a yogurt client that was a "brainstorm." We sat for four hours brainstorming and really having an advertising "jam sesh" for new campaigns. it was very interesting, especially because it was free association in another language. It was very difficult for me to add to the conversation but if nothing else I was able to glimpse the creative process. I was trying to remember the last time i worked on a team for something - yes athletics far long ago, but i always played tennis, and even then i played singles. In college I had group projects, but knowing Penn kids (and myself included) it was really everyone for themselves. I've always been sort of a "single player" and i really think this is the first time i can remember where feeding off of others' ideas isn't taboo - its encouraged.
On Friday there was a torrential downpour and the pour went out in the office. I asked my coworker if it happened a lot and she goes "never! About once every four months."
Thursday night I went to a club - taboo for the workweek, which I never do - but it was rented out by the advertising school as a graduation party. Puts Penn Senior formal to shame. It was like an exaggerated bar mitzvah, complete with 90s music and glow necklaces. But with alcohol, argentines, and 100x more people...
in other news, my sink is still broken. in other other news, THERE IS A GIANT NEW MOON POSTER NEXT TO MY APARTMENT!
missing you all - home from nov 30-dec 7!
besos
mer
In the office this week we had a presentation about upcoming trends. I was thinking about it a lot because Argentina is just getting on the "environmentally friendly" train and is very far behind other countries. I think mostly because when so many people here have to worry about their next meal and providing for their families, they couldnt care less about the number of plastic bags they're using. I bought a special eco-friendly bag that was being offered in the big supermarket nearby in an effort to try a little. They offer a discount with the purchase of the special eco friendly grocery tote but naturally it was defunct and didnt work. I bought the bag anyway.
I had a very interesting meeting with a yogurt client that was a "brainstorm." We sat for four hours brainstorming and really having an advertising "jam sesh" for new campaigns. it was very interesting, especially because it was free association in another language. It was very difficult for me to add to the conversation but if nothing else I was able to glimpse the creative process. I was trying to remember the last time i worked on a team for something - yes athletics far long ago, but i always played tennis, and even then i played singles. In college I had group projects, but knowing Penn kids (and myself included) it was really everyone for themselves. I've always been sort of a "single player" and i really think this is the first time i can remember where feeding off of others' ideas isn't taboo - its encouraged.
On Friday there was a torrential downpour and the pour went out in the office. I asked my coworker if it happened a lot and she goes "never! About once every four months."
Thursday night I went to a club - taboo for the workweek, which I never do - but it was rented out by the advertising school as a graduation party. Puts Penn Senior formal to shame. It was like an exaggerated bar mitzvah, complete with 90s music and glow necklaces. But with alcohol, argentines, and 100x more people...
in other news, my sink is still broken. in other other news, THERE IS A GIANT NEW MOON POSTER NEXT TO MY APARTMENT!
missing you all - home from nov 30-dec 7!
besos
mer
Sundays are for grilling.
BA is known for lots of things – dulce de leche, tango, but it is also, like other large cities and struggling economies – to be full of crime. Crime here is not as violent as in the states – its more petty theft and crime, grabbing bags, etcetera. Ive been very lucky in New York, in Barcelona, and here thus far. However, I was getting my rent money and two women came up to me trying to make conversation. As I put my hand down, I felt one womans hand in my bag. Luckily, she walked away and nothing happened. But it was a wake up call. I think its easy to forget that safety doesn’t come as easily here and that I need to be more careful in general.On a lighter note…On Friday I went to a dinner at my friend J's house. I got locked out of my apartment AGAIN (what is it with me this week??) and was about 2 hours late. I was dressed ready to go out (read: not horribly respectfully) and when I got to the cena I realized that it was a seated, 4 course Shabbat dinner. With his parents, and his parents friends. Awkward. Its easy to forget that all of my Argentine friends live with their parents. Aside from the awkwardness, it was really interesting to talk to some of Js parents friends about BA, in a mixture of Spanish and English. One told me about studying abroad in Israel. There were also 2 Israeli girls visiting who J met on Birthright. It was an intersetnig and diverse mixture of people, to say the least. After dinner (ended at 1 am!) we went to another Argentien friends apartment, where he lives by himself. Within a week, since the last time I was there, he managed to furnish his patio in true bachelor style – with a complete bar and hilarious vintage music posters and records from Rolling Stones to Michael Jackson.Yesterday I went to an expat asado. There was an excess of red meat and Americans. I had no idea what a huge expat community there was in BA. It was a gorgeous spring afternoon filled with Choripan (chorizo, sausage, on a roll.)
I´m Legal.
Every so often my coworkers will ask me questions about American culture that I find very amusing. One from Halloween was ís it really true that American kids dress up and walk around going house to house asking ofr candy? I guess the concept does seem a bit ridiculous, taking food from strangers and especially to the people here, where for many finding food is such a struggle that giving it away seems ludicrous. Another such amusing question was ´´Is it true that in the US the boys who play sports are really popular? Like in every movie I see the football players get all the girls!¨´ I think to some degree, it is. But I was trying to explain why. Obviously this hierarchy that is athletic based is mostly a high school thing, but why do we place such a high value on being athletic? My coworker who asked me the question said that yes there are popular and unpopular groups in high schools here, but its not based on who scores touchdowns. He said that his school didn’t compete in sports leagues and many high schools don’t. I think that instead here the competition in athletics comes in the form of soccer, which is basically the only sport that matters. There are a million outside legues – my company has two of its own!
Buenos Aires is experiencing a Subte strike. Which has created a lot of issues for busses and taxis . its about 5x harder to get around the city. This affected me yesterday when it took me 20 minutes to find a taxi to take me to Migraciones for the third time since ive been here. But it was worth it because IM LEGAL WOO! I finally got my visa. In the flesh. Glad its 3 pieces of white paper stapled together. Feels legit.
Every time I think I am making advances in my Spanish abilities, I feel like I get set back. I need to make more Argentine friends, period, but its very frustrating at work sometimes. We hada team lunch yesterday and I could barely participate in the conversation – maybe because they were all speaking very fast, or maybe because a lot of it was slang and work related using terms I wasn’t familiar with, but I felt totally hopeless and useless. It was such a frustrating feeling to want to participate but not be able to. Its hard learning the advertising world in another language – we had a training presentation yesterday and a lot of the concepts, ilke Cool Hunting, are actually English derived. It was easier for me to understanda lot of the concepts, but it makes the learning curve about twice as steep.
Buenos Aires is experiencing a Subte strike. Which has created a lot of issues for busses and taxis . its about 5x harder to get around the city. This affected me yesterday when it took me 20 minutes to find a taxi to take me to Migraciones for the third time since ive been here. But it was worth it because IM LEGAL WOO! I finally got my visa. In the flesh. Glad its 3 pieces of white paper stapled together. Feels legit.
Every time I think I am making advances in my Spanish abilities, I feel like I get set back. I need to make more Argentine friends, period, but its very frustrating at work sometimes. We hada team lunch yesterday and I could barely participate in the conversation – maybe because they were all speaking very fast, or maybe because a lot of it was slang and work related using terms I wasn’t familiar with, but I felt totally hopeless and useless. It was such a frustrating feeling to want to participate but not be able to. Its hard learning the advertising world in another language – we had a training presentation yesterday and a lot of the concepts, ilke Cool Hunting, are actually English derived. It was easier for me to understanda lot of the concepts, but it makes the learning curve about twice as steep.
Halloween, the aftermath.
boo.
so the halloween party was a raging success. so successful i got screamed at by me neighbors during the fiesta. oops. great turnout, so many amazing costumes (to the maxiokiosco - brilliance.) however, my apartment is not so happy with me. lets just say the sink in the first floor bathroom is literally coming off of the wall, if thats possible. i spent all day scrubbing and still managed to find a cigarette butt in MY FREEZER (?). I went to great lengths trying to find halloween candy, to little avail. some gummy teeth were found but nobody can do loads of candy and promiscuous costumes like the janquis. My costume was a hit btu i had to keep explaining the pun because i didnt want anyone to think i was ACTUALLY a yankees fan...also: i have a clown wig, can whomever that belongs to come claim it?
On Friday my coworker brought her three yearld daughter to work. Naturally, we chatted. It was so nice for me because I think I am exactly at the level of a three year old, in Spanish. Shes the one person who talks slow enough for me to understand! Another great thing at work - a powerpoint I made is goingto be used to present to clients. I wonder if I have to do the presenting....which will be both interesting and terrifying.
When youre away from home you really do appreciate the smallest things. I found 2 year-old In Style magazines in my apartment from the previous tenant. Tears of passe fashion joy. Actual tears: the music festival Creamfields (house/electronicafest) was CANCELLED.
You know you've been in Argentina a while when...
...its not awkward to be hit on by a man walking 12 dogs.
...you look at an event listing for a Halloween party in NYC and you assume "open bar 8-9" is 8-9 AM because WHY on earth would you be drinking that early at night. (and its not abnormal to be drinking at 8am. its called an after party, people.)
It's around my 2 month anniversary. Wahooooo. It feels like a mixture of forever/no time at all. Mostly because some days I am fluent in Spanish, and others I have trouble spitting out a sentence. It really does come and go. Onwards. I always forget that Sundays outside of the US are hard. Not because you are thinking about how you have to work the next day, or how Entourage is over now. But rather, because nothing is OPEN. I went to 5 supermarkets. 5. Three were closed, two had half of what I wanted.
Since it's starting to get warm, I have been using the pool on weekends (i use the term pool generously, its more like an overgrown hot-tub.) It's really awkward because the area surrounding the pool is teeny too. So i'm sunbathing on top of all of my neighbors. With the warmth come the tourists. I can tell that tourist season is really starting because more and more English is being put on store fronts, on signs, and there are street performers at the major intersections - everyone from a faux tin-man to a guy playing the violin on stilts IN ONCOMING TRAFFIC (how is he supposed to get tips?)
Halloween. Not a big deal here, but quite a big deal for myself and my neighbor P. We are throwing a Halloweenie previa in my apartment. I have been trying to find pumpkins but we might have to substitute with squash. Much harder to carve. I am going to be a "janqui." Trying to best combine my wits and desire to wear minimal clothing on Halloween (it's a cardinal rule! Have you seen Mean Girls?) I will be wearing a Yankees jersey that I have fashioned into a dress. The whole point of the ensemble is not that I like the Yankees (sorry nick, i promise im throwing it out when im done) but that "janqui" is a pejorative term for an American/gringo such as myself. Ergo I'm going this halloween as a redundant slur. Makin my people proud.
I had a costume before that I was so proud of that I wasn't going to tell a soul, but thank god i did. I was going to be Palermo Hollywood, a popular area of BA. Palermo, being a dove, and hollywood, being a celeb. I was so jazzed and enthused on my idea that I secretly told one of my coworkers. and swore her to secrecy. she looked at me, not nearly as excited as i was. Dove is PALOMA.
One of my favorite conversations in Argentina came today, when I was doing post-production for an advertisement. The guy editing the commercial (which we outsource, so we were a bit outside the city) had a Back to the Future Delorian collectible series car. He was a BTF nerd just liek me. We talked for a solid 20 minutes (argued rather, the second is definitely the best, he argued for the third in the trilogy, who picks the one with the wild west?) It was definitely memorable.
I had coffee tonight with a friend and saw a famous drag queen. OMFGZ.
New excellent verb: googlear. Yes, Yo googleo, tu googleas, etc. It's a verb. Legitimately.
...you look at an event listing for a Halloween party in NYC and you assume "open bar 8-9" is 8-9 AM because WHY on earth would you be drinking that early at night. (and its not abnormal to be drinking at 8am. its called an after party, people.)
It's around my 2 month anniversary. Wahooooo. It feels like a mixture of forever/no time at all. Mostly because some days I am fluent in Spanish, and others I have trouble spitting out a sentence. It really does come and go. Onwards. I always forget that Sundays outside of the US are hard. Not because you are thinking about how you have to work the next day, or how Entourage is over now. But rather, because nothing is OPEN. I went to 5 supermarkets. 5. Three were closed, two had half of what I wanted.
Since it's starting to get warm, I have been using the pool on weekends (i use the term pool generously, its more like an overgrown hot-tub.) It's really awkward because the area surrounding the pool is teeny too. So i'm sunbathing on top of all of my neighbors. With the warmth come the tourists. I can tell that tourist season is really starting because more and more English is being put on store fronts, on signs, and there are street performers at the major intersections - everyone from a faux tin-man to a guy playing the violin on stilts IN ONCOMING TRAFFIC (how is he supposed to get tips?)
Halloween. Not a big deal here, but quite a big deal for myself and my neighbor P. We are throwing a Halloweenie previa in my apartment. I have been trying to find pumpkins but we might have to substitute with squash. Much harder to carve. I am going to be a "janqui." Trying to best combine my wits and desire to wear minimal clothing on Halloween (it's a cardinal rule! Have you seen Mean Girls?) I will be wearing a Yankees jersey that I have fashioned into a dress. The whole point of the ensemble is not that I like the Yankees (sorry nick, i promise im throwing it out when im done) but that "janqui" is a pejorative term for an American/gringo such as myself. Ergo I'm going this halloween as a redundant slur. Makin my people proud.
I had a costume before that I was so proud of that I wasn't going to tell a soul, but thank god i did. I was going to be Palermo Hollywood, a popular area of BA. Palermo, being a dove, and hollywood, being a celeb. I was so jazzed and enthused on my idea that I secretly told one of my coworkers. and swore her to secrecy. she looked at me, not nearly as excited as i was. Dove is PALOMA.
One of my favorite conversations in Argentina came today, when I was doing post-production for an advertisement. The guy editing the commercial (which we outsource, so we were a bit outside the city) had a Back to the Future Delorian collectible series car. He was a BTF nerd just liek me. We talked for a solid 20 minutes (argued rather, the second is definitely the best, he argued for the third in the trilogy, who picks the one with the wild west?) It was definitely memorable.
I had coffee tonight with a friend and saw a famous drag queen. OMFGZ.
New excellent verb: googlear. Yes, Yo googleo, tu googleas, etc. It's a verb. Legitimately.
Because I only have problems here when I am wearing minimal clothing (read on, its not as bad as it sounds.)
yo quiero taco bell. que onda = whats up?
Today I got locked out my apartment (i forgot the keys inside) while in a bathing suit. To add insult to injury - I ran into several of my neighbors. I was just trying to lay out at the pool in the back. LUCKILY the broker had an extra set which he sent over within two hours - thus renewing my faith in the somewhat faded Argentine concept of "getting a move on." Phew.
Awkward moments in minimal clothing aside (my neighbors really must think i have serious issues) I had another great week at work. We even sang head, shoulders knees and toes. Which is one of the many songs taught here in Argentina to help learn English. I'm glad we're represented by a song that really has no meaning or significance.
I have a few favorite spanish words, but one word that really needs to happen (unlike Fetch) in the USA is "onda." Here it is the most common adjective, and can only be summed up in english by the word "vibe." If someone is really great, or you happen to love a song, you say it has "buena onda." So Gretchen, make it happen.
I've started cooking my lunch (HA, i open a can of tuna or grill some chicken) and bringing it to work. There is a great little courtyard/asado where we all sit and eat. Unlike in New York, where its very common to see people eating alone during lunch, here it is basically unheard of. There is absolutely nothing worse than eating alone and the few times I did it I think some of my coworkers were very sad for me.
A memorable conversation in the office this week consisted of me trying to explain to a coworker what a "hipster" was. I trying to provide drawings and pictures, like "Look at this F-ing Hipster" but I can't really say oh you know like williamsburgironyiwearoldclothingridebicyclesandgrowmyowntomatoesinmyveganfarm type of thing. Oh the unique culture we have.
It's hot already. And this is nothing. FMV.
I bought my ticket for Creamfields - the Lolapalooza/Electronic Zoo for BA. I'm very excited - its only a day and a half but the headlines are Van Bu(u)ren (Armin, not Martin) and Guetta. I'm not really sure why it's called Creamfields. I spent the entire month I was here calling it Greenfields because that seemed like a more apt hippie electronicafest name but no, its Cream.
One note on healthcare (doesn't everyone have one these days) Argentines get plastic surgery covered. For free. Free boobs for all!
Awkward moments in minimal clothing aside (my neighbors really must think i have serious issues) I had another great week at work. We even sang head, shoulders knees and toes. Which is one of the many songs taught here in Argentina to help learn English. I'm glad we're represented by a song that really has no meaning or significance.
I have a few favorite spanish words, but one word that really needs to happen (unlike Fetch) in the USA is "onda." Here it is the most common adjective, and can only be summed up in english by the word "vibe." If someone is really great, or you happen to love a song, you say it has "buena onda." So Gretchen, make it happen.
I've started cooking my lunch (HA, i open a can of tuna or grill some chicken) and bringing it to work. There is a great little courtyard/asado where we all sit and eat. Unlike in New York, where its very common to see people eating alone during lunch, here it is basically unheard of. There is absolutely nothing worse than eating alone and the few times I did it I think some of my coworkers were very sad for me.
A memorable conversation in the office this week consisted of me trying to explain to a coworker what a "hipster" was. I trying to provide drawings and pictures, like "Look at this F-ing Hipster" but I can't really say oh you know like williamsburgironyiwearoldclothingridebicyclesandgrowmyowntomatoesinmyveganfarm type of thing. Oh the unique culture we have.
It's hot already. And this is nothing. FMV.
I bought my ticket for Creamfields - the Lolapalooza/Electronic Zoo for BA. I'm very excited - its only a day and a half but the headlines are Van Bu(u)ren (Armin, not Martin) and Guetta. I'm not really sure why it's called Creamfields. I spent the entire month I was here calling it Greenfields because that seemed like a more apt hippie electronicafest name but no, its Cream.
One note on healthcare (doesn't everyone have one these days) Argentines get plastic surgery covered. For free. Free boobs for all!
FMV (F MY VIDA).
author not pictured.
Oh another little ditty for my readers (if none other than my parents...hey guys!) I ordered some hummus and falafel, and when the delivery man rang, I was in a towel. I didn't know what to do. So, 9 times out of 10 there's never anyone in the hallway, elevator, or lobby so I figured when in BA. There was a broker showing 3 guys my age the building. FMV (substituting vida for life).
Onwards. Today at the office my friend Meri (this is the mer problem of which i speak) asked me a very interesting question: is it as important to learn Spanish in the US as it is to learn English in Argentina? And the answer of course is no. Of many friends I knew, very few share the passion for Spanish (or languages even) in college or high school. I remember very well from tutoring kids in Spanish, many people write themselves off as "not being language people." I also wasn't a "language person," but I'm one of the few who believes it is actually a learned, not innate skill. Meri then asked why wouldnt there be such an emphasis put on learning Spanish, since so much of the American population speaks it? I couldn't find a good answer. Talk amongst yourselves.
I am making an attempt to read La Nacion every day, but it doesnt seem that newspaper reading is as prevalent here as it is in the USA (not that its even that prevalent any more....sigh print media.) But only in Argentina would there be an entire daily newspaper (that comes into the office with La Nacion) ENTIRELY devoted to sports. Well, 9/10 soccer and 1/10 everything else. Soccer here is religion. AND WE ARE GOING TO THE WORLD CUP! (yes, i sometimes follow sports now! amazing!)
I spent all of Sunday not knowing what time it was. I know it sounds slightly unintelligent, but i couldnt figure out if Buenos Aires does daylight savings time. Which it doesnt. Because everyone here got together and said they didn't believe in it so they weren't going to do it. Thus, some of the provinces in Argentina do it, but i dont. Which means, for those of you whom i bbm and gchat on an all too frequent basis, when you "fall back" ill still be in the same place, two hours ahead instead of one. heads-up. On Sunday I also visited China Town, and went to some amazing markets where I found 156 varieties of crispy rice snacks, seaweed, starfish (apparently you can eat them?), useless chatchkes, and MOCHI. Yum. Also, happy mothers day mom! My friends and I were remarking that it was the one day we weren't harangued on the street by Argentine men cat calling (LIKE WE'RE GOING TO GET INTO YOUR CAR WITH YOU!?) because they were all busy with their moms. It was a quiet day.
Onwards. Today at the office my friend Meri (this is the mer problem of which i speak) asked me a very interesting question: is it as important to learn Spanish in the US as it is to learn English in Argentina? And the answer of course is no. Of many friends I knew, very few share the passion for Spanish (or languages even) in college or high school. I remember very well from tutoring kids in Spanish, many people write themselves off as "not being language people." I also wasn't a "language person," but I'm one of the few who believes it is actually a learned, not innate skill. Meri then asked why wouldnt there be such an emphasis put on learning Spanish, since so much of the American population speaks it? I couldn't find a good answer. Talk amongst yourselves.
I am making an attempt to read La Nacion every day, but it doesnt seem that newspaper reading is as prevalent here as it is in the USA (not that its even that prevalent any more....sigh print media.) But only in Argentina would there be an entire daily newspaper (that comes into the office with La Nacion) ENTIRELY devoted to sports. Well, 9/10 soccer and 1/10 everything else. Soccer here is religion. AND WE ARE GOING TO THE WORLD CUP! (yes, i sometimes follow sports now! amazing!)
I spent all of Sunday not knowing what time it was. I know it sounds slightly unintelligent, but i couldnt figure out if Buenos Aires does daylight savings time. Which it doesnt. Because everyone here got together and said they didn't believe in it so they weren't going to do it. Thus, some of the provinces in Argentina do it, but i dont. Which means, for those of you whom i bbm and gchat on an all too frequent basis, when you "fall back" ill still be in the same place, two hours ahead instead of one. heads-up. On Sunday I also visited China Town, and went to some amazing markets where I found 156 varieties of crispy rice snacks, seaweed, starfish (apparently you can eat them?), useless chatchkes, and MOCHI. Yum. Also, happy mothers day mom! My friends and I were remarking that it was the one day we weren't harangued on the street by Argentine men cat calling (LIKE WE'RE GOING TO GET INTO YOUR CAR WITH YOU!?) because they were all busy with their moms. It was a quiet day.
Wau! Yuppie!
Yippie! (As they say here..."Yuppie"! not to be confused with yuppies.) Wau! (wow. I'm not sure why I find that so funny but I jsut don't think that "wow" should be spelled that way.) I finished my first week of trabajo. I got all of my boxes sent by my parents (thanks mom and dad, i shed a tear of joy when i saw the Duncan Hines yellow cake mix and I have all of my american friends fighting to buy me things to get some cake/batter.) I also got my cell phone to work. I love life. It's funny - when you're away from home and in a new environment even the smallest things - being able to communicate, being able to channel your inner fat american with a box of Duncan Hines, all is good.
That's not to say it's been easy, but thus far it's been great. That being said, it is very very difficult to work in another language. I have to constantly be listening extra hard and thinking ahead to the next thing I want to say (inner monologue: wait preterite change the a to an e and wait do i need a direct object pronoun there?) But even in just 4 days of working at the office, I have no doubt that my spanish has improved. I'm finally starting to be me, in espanol. I had a revelation last night with a woman in a hair salon. Being that i have fried my hair in an inch of its life I got a conditioning masque thingy and I sat and talked to the woman doing my hair for an hour. No pauses, no thinking, just talking. Totally in Spanish. and it was wonderful.
I have been able to do such cool things at work already, I'm so lucky. Yesterday I spent all afternoon in a recording studio with child actors as they did voice overs for a yogurt commercial. I could see the editors putting their voices into the video that had been previously recorded, and it was really amazing. And to be witnessing it all in another language was great. I remember that the same thing happened to me in Spain - that while i speak Spanish and live most of my life here in Spanish, i make memories in English. When I think back to something my boss or coworker has said I sometimes have troubel remembering if they said it in Spanish or English, and I hear the words they said in my head as English, even though I translated them myself. I love my office mates already they're so fun and nice and want to learn about me. They told me they imagined that "the american girl" would be blonde and have a heavy southern accent. "You look too much like us!" they told me. I can't decide what that says about the preconceived notions of Americans, but I am a far cry from Texan.
more to come soon.
xoxo
That's not to say it's been easy, but thus far it's been great. That being said, it is very very difficult to work in another language. I have to constantly be listening extra hard and thinking ahead to the next thing I want to say (inner monologue: wait preterite change the a to an e and wait do i need a direct object pronoun there?) But even in just 4 days of working at the office, I have no doubt that my spanish has improved. I'm finally starting to be me, in espanol. I had a revelation last night with a woman in a hair salon. Being that i have fried my hair in an inch of its life I got a conditioning masque thingy and I sat and talked to the woman doing my hair for an hour. No pauses, no thinking, just talking. Totally in Spanish. and it was wonderful.
I have been able to do such cool things at work already, I'm so lucky. Yesterday I spent all afternoon in a recording studio with child actors as they did voice overs for a yogurt commercial. I could see the editors putting their voices into the video that had been previously recorded, and it was really amazing. And to be witnessing it all in another language was great. I remember that the same thing happened to me in Spain - that while i speak Spanish and live most of my life here in Spanish, i make memories in English. When I think back to something my boss or coworker has said I sometimes have troubel remembering if they said it in Spanish or English, and I hear the words they said in my head as English, even though I translated them myself. I love my office mates already they're so fun and nice and want to learn about me. They told me they imagined that "the american girl" would be blonde and have a heavy southern accent. "You look too much like us!" they told me. I can't decide what that says about the preconceived notions of Americans, but I am a far cry from Texan.
more to come soon.
xoxo
Yogur es mi destino.
inherent irony.
Something obviously absent from my blog, oh yes meredith didnt you have a reason for going to buenos aires? WORK! My visa stalled, i whined and ate some more alfajors, and then the papers finally came through.
I am working at an advertising agency here, which shall remain nameless, but its great. As i wrote before about being able to smoke in teh officie. i have more anecdotes and observations. My first official day was a whirlwind, but im already planning a vacation! oh south america. my day began with a meeting with one of the account managers, who prompty drew me a very detialed family tree, with levels, of everyone who works on my floor. I cant read her handwriting and everyone is probably named Marcelo anyway but it is good to have. I got a notebook and a pen! exciting stuff. I have a computer too. I was shocked that even at a global ad agency my computer is extremely old and not very technologically capable. There are only a few nice new macs strictly rserved for the graphic designers here. Everyone else works on very antiquated pcs. However, i have my computadora.
I dont really have a desk, its sort of a side table cubicle that i share with other people who sit on either side. Everyone is so nice and immediately friended me on facebook. My boss for this accounts asked where i live and it turns out we live a block apart so he wants to walk to work together. I guess hel'l just have to watch me walking and drinking my iced coffee with my pilfered starbucks straws out of my giant gordita american plastic cup while i walk. Which is what I did this morning, and plan on doing subsequent mornings. The dress is exceedingly casual, theyres a myiad of high tops and dunks and everyone laughs and yells and plays musc. i am in an advertising fraternity Alpha Delta (get it? haha).
The group that im working with couldnt be more appropriate. I am going to be working on YOGURT accounts for the next 4 months. Its almost a joke. I am seriously considering pitching the idea of FREEZING the yogurt to the clients. We have a bit of a mer issue. My nickname was foolproof and argentine friendly until i realized that i sit across from a meri which is short ofor mercedes. oh well.
I translated a yogurt ad and my english subtitles will be broacasted all over the world. Its so exciting. I also already get a free beach vacation with the team because they won an award. (??) Do other offices give free vacations to employees if you win an award? Anyway, we´re all giong to the beach. The office is really beautiful and modern save for the computers, and there's a little couryard and an asado, in case you want steak for lunch. Because thats totally normal here. During the mid-afternoon my friend Mica who sits across from me waved me into the bathroom with a bunch of other girls in the office. I had no idea what was going on and when we walked in we found another employee selling clothing! I couldnt decide it it was bizarre, hilarious, or awesome. I think it was a combination.
Ive started reading la nacion, but trying to read Maureen Dowds oped in Spanish makes no sense and I don't catch any of the humor. Also, BENIHANA is coming! things to get excited about. i also bought a book called Che Boludo which is made specifically for gringas gorditas like me to help me learn slang. amazing.
I am working at an advertising agency here, which shall remain nameless, but its great. As i wrote before about being able to smoke in teh officie. i have more anecdotes and observations. My first official day was a whirlwind, but im already planning a vacation! oh south america. my day began with a meeting with one of the account managers, who prompty drew me a very detialed family tree, with levels, of everyone who works on my floor. I cant read her handwriting and everyone is probably named Marcelo anyway but it is good to have. I got a notebook and a pen! exciting stuff. I have a computer too. I was shocked that even at a global ad agency my computer is extremely old and not very technologically capable. There are only a few nice new macs strictly rserved for the graphic designers here. Everyone else works on very antiquated pcs. However, i have my computadora.
I dont really have a desk, its sort of a side table cubicle that i share with other people who sit on either side. Everyone is so nice and immediately friended me on facebook. My boss for this accounts asked where i live and it turns out we live a block apart so he wants to walk to work together. I guess hel'l just have to watch me walking and drinking my iced coffee with my pilfered starbucks straws out of my giant gordita american plastic cup while i walk. Which is what I did this morning, and plan on doing subsequent mornings. The dress is exceedingly casual, theyres a myiad of high tops and dunks and everyone laughs and yells and plays musc. i am in an advertising fraternity Alpha Delta (get it? haha).
The group that im working with couldnt be more appropriate. I am going to be working on YOGURT accounts for the next 4 months. Its almost a joke. I am seriously considering pitching the idea of FREEZING the yogurt to the clients. We have a bit of a mer issue. My nickname was foolproof and argentine friendly until i realized that i sit across from a meri which is short ofor mercedes. oh well.
I translated a yogurt ad and my english subtitles will be broacasted all over the world. Its so exciting. I also already get a free beach vacation with the team because they won an award. (??) Do other offices give free vacations to employees if you win an award? Anyway, we´re all giong to the beach. The office is really beautiful and modern save for the computers, and there's a little couryard and an asado, in case you want steak for lunch. Because thats totally normal here. During the mid-afternoon my friend Mica who sits across from me waved me into the bathroom with a bunch of other girls in the office. I had no idea what was going on and when we walked in we found another employee selling clothing! I couldnt decide it it was bizarre, hilarious, or awesome. I think it was a combination.
Ive started reading la nacion, but trying to read Maureen Dowds oped in Spanish makes no sense and I don't catch any of the humor. Also, BENIHANA is coming! things to get excited about. i also bought a book called Che Boludo which is made specifically for gringas gorditas like me to help me learn slang. amazing.
I'm glad it only took me 5.5 weeks to realize I have VH1.
marco, Argentine Polo.
T and I went back to check out the Pop Art exhibit at Bellas Artes. It was mediocre - I'm spoiled by all the pop art we have in our museums. There was an amazing Claus Oldenberg baked potato though. And some Lichtenstein-esque prints that I liked a lot. M and I went to El Clan on Thursday, a swanky posh restaurant/bar in Puerto Madero. We were seated next to a famous Argentine director and model and there were paparazzi everywhere. We had no clue who they were but everyone was fawning and it was hilarious. I'm usually so up on celebrities and would immediately know who they were but I need to brush up on my Argentine stars in Caras or Gente, the magazines I should have bought instead of Paparazzi. Speaking of famous Argentines, Mercedes Sosa, a very famous Argentine folk singer, passed away. All of the magazines for this week have her picture with the title "Adios, Negra." (that would not fly in the US.)
For some reason Argentine restaurants have taken American cities as their monikers but very odd ones - like Kansas (a pos american restuarant) and Kentucky, a very popular pizza chain. As far as I know, Kentucky and pizza aren't normally put together.
I decided to explore Las Canitas, a very swanky area of BA where the polo fields are. It's gorgeous - I walked through the grounds of the fields and I'm dying to go to a match. Downside: smells like horse poop.
I went on a blind date today...with a dog. Her name is Mia and I'd really love to adopt a dog here but I have to make sure that with work, regulations, and livign in an apartment that I can handle that kind of commitment. She was very sweet though. I had a bunch of people over last night which began as a Backstreet Boys sing along (Argentines love 90s American pop music). It was hilarious.
Today I found an Argentine version of Costco, which might be the most at home I've ever felt. I bought a 750-pack of lollipops. I also trekked to find an amazing vintage mall - with tons of shops crammed with vintage jackets and boots. I didn't have it in me to dig for the perfect ironic tee shirt, so I'll have to go back. Also, mother's day here is October 18. So, happy mothers day twice this year Mom.
xoxo
For some reason Argentine restaurants have taken American cities as their monikers but very odd ones - like Kansas (a pos american restuarant) and Kentucky, a very popular pizza chain. As far as I know, Kentucky and pizza aren't normally put together.
I decided to explore Las Canitas, a very swanky area of BA where the polo fields are. It's gorgeous - I walked through the grounds of the fields and I'm dying to go to a match. Downside: smells like horse poop.
I went on a blind date today...with a dog. Her name is Mia and I'd really love to adopt a dog here but I have to make sure that with work, regulations, and livign in an apartment that I can handle that kind of commitment. She was very sweet though. I had a bunch of people over last night which began as a Backstreet Boys sing along (Argentines love 90s American pop music). It was hilarious.
Today I found an Argentine version of Costco, which might be the most at home I've ever felt. I bought a 750-pack of lollipops. I also trekked to find an amazing vintage mall - with tons of shops crammed with vintage jackets and boots. I didn't have it in me to dig for the perfect ironic tee shirt, so I'll have to go back. Also, mother's day here is October 18. So, happy mothers day twice this year Mom.
xoxo
Peanut Butter.
the Holy Grail.
So anyone who lives here (the Americans mostly) know that peanut butter is extremely hard to come by. I guess PB is kind of the Dulce de Leche of America, btu for some reason Argentines don't like it. I don't understand it. While trying to find tennis courts the other day (I figured it was a great way to learn new vocab and meet people, and maybe run once in a while) I happened upon a gigantic supermarket that had...PEANUT BUTTER. Not just one kind, BUT THREE. This was one of the more exciting recent happenings. Peanut Butter here is about $6 a pop, but sometimes you need some Skippy. I promptly texted 5 friends here who all freaked out, and we stockpiled. Probably won't last long.
I decided to go back to Puerto Madero because the weather was nice and I really love being by the water. As I walked along I made my way to the Fortabat collection, a personal-made-public art museum of the richest woman in Argentina. It was closed. Sigh. But I did learn that the Subte ride to Puerto Madero is long and sweaty. Great. I met up for a drink with S, a new friend who is the cousin of a friend of my Dad's. We sat in Soho and talked about the differences between American and non-American work ethics. Its true, as he pointed out - that Americans are overworked. He recounted a business trip where dinner conversation also was entirely about work, even though they were at a work conference. This seemed insane to him. As well as dinner at 7 pm. "Aren't you just hungry by 10?" was his response. I guess not?
On my way to meet T today to look at the new Pop Art exhibit at the Museo de las Bellas Artes I stopped dead in my tracks. A dog was pooping on the sidewalk. Now, this is a constant occurrence, because everyone here has a dog and they just poop on everything from sidewalks to floors to stairs, but the owner had a PLASTIC BAG IN HER HAND! What a good samaritan. I also stopped for what I've decided is the best gelato/helado - a place called Volta. There's a dairy free Limon Granizado (lemon sorbet with chocolate chips). I know it sounds kinda gross, but it's actually really good. The pop art exhibit was mediocre but at least somewhat reminiscent of Warhol. It made me appreciate all the pop art I saw before I left the US at the Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh. Mostly T and I made jokes and discussed Family Guy, which is a fine way to spend my time.
I decided to go back to Puerto Madero because the weather was nice and I really love being by the water. As I walked along I made my way to the Fortabat collection, a personal-made-public art museum of the richest woman in Argentina. It was closed. Sigh. But I did learn that the Subte ride to Puerto Madero is long and sweaty. Great. I met up for a drink with S, a new friend who is the cousin of a friend of my Dad's. We sat in Soho and talked about the differences between American and non-American work ethics. Its true, as he pointed out - that Americans are overworked. He recounted a business trip where dinner conversation also was entirely about work, even though they were at a work conference. This seemed insane to him. As well as dinner at 7 pm. "Aren't you just hungry by 10?" was his response. I guess not?
On my way to meet T today to look at the new Pop Art exhibit at the Museo de las Bellas Artes I stopped dead in my tracks. A dog was pooping on the sidewalk. Now, this is a constant occurrence, because everyone here has a dog and they just poop on everything from sidewalks to floors to stairs, but the owner had a PLASTIC BAG IN HER HAND! What a good samaritan. I also stopped for what I've decided is the best gelato/helado - a place called Volta. There's a dairy free Limon Granizado (lemon sorbet with chocolate chips). I know it sounds kinda gross, but it's actually really good. The pop art exhibit was mediocre but at least somewhat reminiscent of Warhol. It made me appreciate all the pop art I saw before I left the US at the Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh. Mostly T and I made jokes and discussed Family Guy, which is a fine way to spend my time.
Happy Anniversary to ME - 1 month!
on the roof of the Museo de las Bellas Artes
I really can't believe it's already been a month here. In some ways it feels like shorter, in some ways longer but overall it's been a huge transition in a really short period of time. I'm sure the rest of the time I decide to stay here will fly by too.
On to more important matters, like underwear. In addition to selling bras, underwear, and socks on the streets here in BA there is an enormous abundance fo underwear shops/stores. The names are hilarious and some form of faux victorias secret. Thus far the best is "Sweet Victorian."
I've finally mastered the art of creating iced coffee here. I know it sounds silly, but there are so many components that really show the differences between American and Argentine culture. For one thing - in addition to portion sizes being heavily inflated in the US, so are cup sizes. I had to trek to 3 different bazaars to find large enough cups. Then there's the issue of ice. We Americans are spoiled with ice. They don't sell it in supermarkets here but only in gas stations. I have a small fridge so I have resorted to ice trays. Long paragraph short, I have made iced coffee. VICTORY.
On Thursday I went to Green Bamboo, a swanky pan-asian restaurant for drinks and fun. M's roommate works there so we had fun hanging out with all the waiters and chefs. One of the guys there thought I was Argentine which made me so happy. It lasted for about 3 seconds until I spoke for longer than 2 sentences, but a small victory nonetheless. Afterwards we went to one of M's friend's bars called Duidui (sp?) which is Dutch or something for hello. Unclear. An Argentine indie deejay was spinning and wearing aviators, a flannel button down, and a sort of trucker hat. Irony.
I recently visited the Museo de las Bellas Artes, which is the Argentine met. It's really nice, but not that extensive - there are a few of everything - from Degas to Picasso to Monet. There was a new Pop Art exhibit but it doesn't open until next week so I'll have to wait for that. Wandering around Recoleta I also went to Buenos Aires design - which is basically another one of BA's famed shopping malls but exclusively for modern furniture design. It also contained the Hard Rock cafe but i refrained from entering.
Last night a few friends had a rooftop terraza fiesta which was a fun expat gathering where most of the topics of discussion included the lack of peanut butter and the best place to get a cell phone here. It's fun to meet other people in the same boat as myself, but I also want to make sure I make an effort to really make a lot of Argentine friends. Otherwise, what's the point? Afterwards I went to the apartment of a Uruguayan friend with a bunch of Argentines. I had significantly more fun there. Although I speak nearly fluent Spanish, I still get nervous around native speakers, especially those my age. I have to make more of an effort to not revert immediately to English. Because most of the young Argentines speak really good English, it's easy to just be speaking in English the entire time. One of my Argentine friends was wearing an Obama t-shirt, which I naturally loved. Semi boring post, but more to come. Too bad this weekend I didn't knock anything over.
xoxo
On to more important matters, like underwear. In addition to selling bras, underwear, and socks on the streets here in BA there is an enormous abundance fo underwear shops/stores. The names are hilarious and some form of faux victorias secret. Thus far the best is "Sweet Victorian."
I've finally mastered the art of creating iced coffee here. I know it sounds silly, but there are so many components that really show the differences between American and Argentine culture. For one thing - in addition to portion sizes being heavily inflated in the US, so are cup sizes. I had to trek to 3 different bazaars to find large enough cups. Then there's the issue of ice. We Americans are spoiled with ice. They don't sell it in supermarkets here but only in gas stations. I have a small fridge so I have resorted to ice trays. Long paragraph short, I have made iced coffee. VICTORY.
On Thursday I went to Green Bamboo, a swanky pan-asian restaurant for drinks and fun. M's roommate works there so we had fun hanging out with all the waiters and chefs. One of the guys there thought I was Argentine which made me so happy. It lasted for about 3 seconds until I spoke for longer than 2 sentences, but a small victory nonetheless. Afterwards we went to one of M's friend's bars called Duidui (sp?) which is Dutch or something for hello. Unclear. An Argentine indie deejay was spinning and wearing aviators, a flannel button down, and a sort of trucker hat. Irony.
I recently visited the Museo de las Bellas Artes, which is the Argentine met. It's really nice, but not that extensive - there are a few of everything - from Degas to Picasso to Monet. There was a new Pop Art exhibit but it doesn't open until next week so I'll have to wait for that. Wandering around Recoleta I also went to Buenos Aires design - which is basically another one of BA's famed shopping malls but exclusively for modern furniture design. It also contained the Hard Rock cafe but i refrained from entering.
Last night a few friends had a rooftop terraza fiesta which was a fun expat gathering where most of the topics of discussion included the lack of peanut butter and the best place to get a cell phone here. It's fun to meet other people in the same boat as myself, but I also want to make sure I make an effort to really make a lot of Argentine friends. Otherwise, what's the point? Afterwards I went to the apartment of a Uruguayan friend with a bunch of Argentines. I had significantly more fun there. Although I speak nearly fluent Spanish, I still get nervous around native speakers, especially those my age. I have to make more of an effort to not revert immediately to English. Because most of the young Argentines speak really good English, it's easy to just be speaking in English the entire time. One of my Argentine friends was wearing an Obama t-shirt, which I naturally loved. Semi boring post, but more to come. Too bad this weekend I didn't knock anything over.
xoxo
Perros y Marcelos
many dogs = many dog walkers.
As spawn of a lawyer for the FCC, I often am interested in the different regulations/allowances of television outside of the US. The US is fairly puritanical about sex, swearing, etcetera, which is very visible in freak outs (read: recent f-bomb on SNL, lady parts on So You Think You Can Dance). Here in Argentina, where sex is significantly more visible - from print ads to newspapers and magazines to television. F informed me that here in Argentina, it's not the words that matter on broadcast television but rather the time they are aired. After 11 pm, all bets are off. Even the broadcast stations can air nudity or profanity. Similarly - Argentine tv programming that i've seen has been much more graphic, even on daytime TV. If that weren't enough, the constant tongue-swapping on the streetcorners here is another dose, due to the fact that Argentines live with their parents essentially until marriage, ensuring them about zero privacy. So, they take to the streets! Makes sense.
F and I went to see a movie this past weekend, and it's so interesting to me to watch how much is lost in translation. It's pretty sad, actually. For one thing, the titles never convey the same meaning. The Hangover here is "Que Paso Ayer?" (what happened yesterday) and the Time Traveler's Wife is "Te Amare Por Siempre" (i'll love you forever). Neither of these titles convey the meaning of the movies at all, and are often extremely literal. It doesn't do all of the hard work and acting justice to reduce a movie to literal phrases. This also happens when I am reading the subtitles during these movies - the emotional impact of the words is often lost. Another note: in case the lack of portion control in American wasn't obvious enough to me here, the largest popcorn size is mayyyyyyybe a medium in the US, and the bags of candy are just normal sized, of course.
In addition to an intense desire to speak to/bond with anyone who is clearly a native English speaker here, it's becoming the same way for people who clearly aren't from Argentina but also aren't necessarily from the US. It's fairly easy to tell who is Argentine and who isn't, and I've been happily engaging Frenchmen, Swiss girls, and anyone else who happens to be a foreigner here to have the comraderie of being in the same "foreign" city.
I've been having trouble sleeping here (shocking, staying out til 6 am couldn't POSSIBLY be throwing my body clock off...) and so I went to the Alvear Palace hotel (looks like the Plaza hotel, equally as nice) for a massage from an Argentine man. I slept.
Speaking of Argentine men, I'm pretty sure the national name here is Marcelo. In the past week I have met 3 Marcelos. It's like Ali/Alli/Allie or Rachel at Penn, or Kate/Katie/Katy/Cate in high school. I couldn't open a bottle of wine last night and knocked on my neighbors door. Turns out his name is Marcelo. Seriously.
I finally stopped being lazy/princesa-ish and took the Subte (subway) for the first time today. Upsides: 25 cents, fast and easy, Downsides: no ventilation, armpits, pick pocketing. I'm a subway girl - DC, NY, Barcelona, so I really did much prefer the subway here to the bus even though there aren't as many stops. There's something about being able to get off and see a route map I guess that seems comforting. Instead of the random singer/preacher like the subways in Manhattan people go from car to car selling lottery tickets. I remember in Spain the lottery tickets were equally as frequent/important, I think because here there are many more drawings, just for smaller amounts.
M and I found Pura Vida finally, an American juice/smoothie/sandwich/salad bar. I got some hummus and a blueberry smoothie and was quite content. I think I should open a fro yo joint.
M is also insisting that I write about my most embarrassing moment thus far in Argentina. On Friday night, I don't know if it was the Fernet or the Stilettos (or a Ferniletto mixture) but as I was walking into Roxy nightclub, I ate it. Faceplanted, hit the floor, went flying. I consider myself a pretty graceful person, usually. But not only did I fall, but i took down a METAL DETECTOR WITH ME. Only in Argentina would the metal detectors fall over with me. Heinously embarrassing while equally hilarious, I'm pretty sure I broke all the security that exists in this country.
F and I went to see a movie this past weekend, and it's so interesting to me to watch how much is lost in translation. It's pretty sad, actually. For one thing, the titles never convey the same meaning. The Hangover here is "Que Paso Ayer?" (what happened yesterday) and the Time Traveler's Wife is "Te Amare Por Siempre" (i'll love you forever). Neither of these titles convey the meaning of the movies at all, and are often extremely literal. It doesn't do all of the hard work and acting justice to reduce a movie to literal phrases. This also happens when I am reading the subtitles during these movies - the emotional impact of the words is often lost. Another note: in case the lack of portion control in American wasn't obvious enough to me here, the largest popcorn size is mayyyyyyybe a medium in the US, and the bags of candy are just normal sized, of course.
In addition to an intense desire to speak to/bond with anyone who is clearly a native English speaker here, it's becoming the same way for people who clearly aren't from Argentina but also aren't necessarily from the US. It's fairly easy to tell who is Argentine and who isn't, and I've been happily engaging Frenchmen, Swiss girls, and anyone else who happens to be a foreigner here to have the comraderie of being in the same "foreign" city.
I've been having trouble sleeping here (shocking, staying out til 6 am couldn't POSSIBLY be throwing my body clock off...) and so I went to the Alvear Palace hotel (looks like the Plaza hotel, equally as nice) for a massage from an Argentine man. I slept.
Speaking of Argentine men, I'm pretty sure the national name here is Marcelo. In the past week I have met 3 Marcelos. It's like Ali/Alli/Allie or Rachel at Penn, or Kate/Katie/Katy/Cate in high school. I couldn't open a bottle of wine last night and knocked on my neighbors door. Turns out his name is Marcelo. Seriously.
I finally stopped being lazy/princesa-ish and took the Subte (subway) for the first time today. Upsides: 25 cents, fast and easy, Downsides: no ventilation, armpits, pick pocketing. I'm a subway girl - DC, NY, Barcelona, so I really did much prefer the subway here to the bus even though there aren't as many stops. There's something about being able to get off and see a route map I guess that seems comforting. Instead of the random singer/preacher like the subways in Manhattan people go from car to car selling lottery tickets. I remember in Spain the lottery tickets were equally as frequent/important, I think because here there are many more drawings, just for smaller amounts.
M and I found Pura Vida finally, an American juice/smoothie/sandwich/salad bar. I got some hummus and a blueberry smoothie and was quite content. I think I should open a fro yo joint.
M is also insisting that I write about my most embarrassing moment thus far in Argentina. On Friday night, I don't know if it was the Fernet or the Stilettos (or a Ferniletto mixture) but as I was walking into Roxy nightclub, I ate it. Faceplanted, hit the floor, went flying. I consider myself a pretty graceful person, usually. But not only did I fall, but i took down a METAL DETECTOR WITH ME. Only in Argentina would the metal detectors fall over with me. Heinously embarrassing while equally hilarious, I'm pretty sure I broke all the security that exists in this country.
Empanada Shapes: 101
back to basics: learning shapes
Empanadas, or the original Hot Pockets, are the national food (besides steak) of Argentina. These doughy creations, like dulce, can be paired with almost everything. I've had all different kinds - ham, tuna, veggie, and sweet. It's sometimes like a box of chocolates - you never know what you're going to get. Until unbenownst to me there is a national understanding about empanada shapes. Now I know that curled ends, making the empanada circular, are jamon and queso (DUH) and straighter ones are often meat. Who would've thunk it? I've been trying to find the empanada shapes map that I saw last night but apparently it's a national secret. Sorry.
My friends F and S who are from here have graciously been driving me around the city - to pick up giant boxes sent to me by my parents due to my overpacking habits and most recently to San Isidro. Which is a gorgeous area near the river that looks a lot like Malibu. Same idea - wealthy people living by the water, palm trees, and Brody Jenner (kidding.) I could not imagine anything worse than driving here - every pedestrian has to often fight for his or her life. It's very difficult to cross the street here, because Stop signs mean absolutely nada. Same with traffic lights. It's unclear why they exist. The traffic lights also go from green to yellow to red but then from red to yellow to green. Not that it does anything, but it's kind of funny.
Being that Argentina is a pretty conservative country, I was shocked to learn that the divorce rate here is actually higher than the US. It's about 60 percent. But if you were beautiful and argentine and eating empanadas all day you'd probably not stick to the same person either.
On Thursday night I went to a bar called Sugar, where I'm pretty sure the entire American population in BA agreed to inhabit. Like the unspoken empanada shape code, but with alcohol and baseball caps. I was delighted to see boys without tufts of hair (rat-tails, mullets, a combo of these two delights) but also slightly annoyed. Americans are annoying. I wonder what people think when they see me here. I bet I'm just as annoying. I left with some argentines and went to a "restobar" (really necessary?) called Belushi. I wonder if people here are familiar with John Belushi. It was gorgeous and swanky but of course absolutely empty at 1230 because who would go to a bar that early?
I had a piece of "pizza" after my night out. It was about the size of a rice cake and was a piece of tomato and a piece of ham. Fail. In other food news I bought a squirt bottle of Dulce De Leche (DDL) to more easily apply the substance to my face. Necessary. ALERT THE AUTHORITIES - those of you who know me well, my biggest grievance upon leaving was that I would not be able to have frozen yogurt in my bloodstream 24 hours a day. Sigh. BEHOLD, I have found something sort of similar at a heladeria (ice cream shop) called Yogurisimo. It's like yogurt/ice cream. Not bad. I am partially sated, but of course there's way too much dairy in it and i spent half the day doubled over. Worth it.
My night last night was nothing short of international - I went to a previa with 2 uruguayans, 1 argentine, a serb, and a swiss. we exchanged bbm pins. The more things change, the more they stay the same. I went to a club called Roxy with a bunch of Penn kiddies where we danced until 6 am. I feel like I've been hit by a truck. But here in BA, that's a strong possibility.
xoxo
My friends F and S who are from here have graciously been driving me around the city - to pick up giant boxes sent to me by my parents due to my overpacking habits and most recently to San Isidro. Which is a gorgeous area near the river that looks a lot like Malibu. Same idea - wealthy people living by the water, palm trees, and Brody Jenner (kidding.) I could not imagine anything worse than driving here - every pedestrian has to often fight for his or her life. It's very difficult to cross the street here, because Stop signs mean absolutely nada. Same with traffic lights. It's unclear why they exist. The traffic lights also go from green to yellow to red but then from red to yellow to green. Not that it does anything, but it's kind of funny.
Being that Argentina is a pretty conservative country, I was shocked to learn that the divorce rate here is actually higher than the US. It's about 60 percent. But if you were beautiful and argentine and eating empanadas all day you'd probably not stick to the same person either.
On Thursday night I went to a bar called Sugar, where I'm pretty sure the entire American population in BA agreed to inhabit. Like the unspoken empanada shape code, but with alcohol and baseball caps. I was delighted to see boys without tufts of hair (rat-tails, mullets, a combo of these two delights) but also slightly annoyed. Americans are annoying. I wonder what people think when they see me here. I bet I'm just as annoying. I left with some argentines and went to a "restobar" (really necessary?) called Belushi. I wonder if people here are familiar with John Belushi. It was gorgeous and swanky but of course absolutely empty at 1230 because who would go to a bar that early?
I had a piece of "pizza" after my night out. It was about the size of a rice cake and was a piece of tomato and a piece of ham. Fail. In other food news I bought a squirt bottle of Dulce De Leche (DDL) to more easily apply the substance to my face. Necessary. ALERT THE AUTHORITIES - those of you who know me well, my biggest grievance upon leaving was that I would not be able to have frozen yogurt in my bloodstream 24 hours a day. Sigh. BEHOLD, I have found something sort of similar at a heladeria (ice cream shop) called Yogurisimo. It's like yogurt/ice cream. Not bad. I am partially sated, but of course there's way too much dairy in it and i spent half the day doubled over. Worth it.
My night last night was nothing short of international - I went to a previa with 2 uruguayans, 1 argentine, a serb, and a swiss. we exchanged bbm pins. The more things change, the more they stay the same. I went to a club called Roxy with a bunch of Penn kiddies where we danced until 6 am. I feel like I've been hit by a truck. But here in BA, that's a strong possibility.
xoxo
I'll take 2 bags of milk por favs.
dulceeee
Since I have yet to start mi trabajo (still processing visa paperwork...) i spend many hours during the day finding and thinking of new things on which to spread dulce de leche. I had to stop when I get to various fruits where it just destroyed the purpose of eating fruit in the first place (except dulce de leche on bananas is amazeballs.) In addition to a dulce-fest in every bakery and grocery store, Argentine flavors find their way into American snackfoods. Who ever thought I'd find jamon-flavored potato chips? They even have salami flavor crackers. The milk here also comes in sacks. Like little baggies. Almost like hackey-sacs or bean bags, but full of milk. I've managed to find one type of soy milk (seems to be the only type) that is sort of vanilla flavored. I'm just lucky it's not dulce flavored, or it would be dangerous.
It's supposed to be the beginning of spring, but it's actually still pretty cold here (about 60 degrees and overcast). BA has a ton of rain which smears the dog poo that nobody is required to scoop here and makes for lovely shoe surprises. All of this rain has caused me to sit inside and watch TV, and thus smear more dulce on things. A very popular show is "Quiero mi quince" which is My Super Sweet Sixteen. But here, the big birthday is 15. I'm not really sure why this is (it's true among most latinas I believe) but it's of the similar premise but half as grossly gaudy as Americans at age 16.
Continuing on the food premise, i have found hummus. hurray hummus. I wonder how Dulce and hummus taste together...
It's supposed to be the beginning of spring, but it's actually still pretty cold here (about 60 degrees and overcast). BA has a ton of rain which smears the dog poo that nobody is required to scoop here and makes for lovely shoe surprises. All of this rain has caused me to sit inside and watch TV, and thus smear more dulce on things. A very popular show is "Quiero mi quince" which is My Super Sweet Sixteen. But here, the big birthday is 15. I'm not really sure why this is (it's true among most latinas I believe) but it's of the similar premise but half as grossly gaudy as Americans at age 16.
Continuing on the food premise, i have found hummus. hurray hummus. I wonder how Dulce and hummus taste together...
Argentina may not have very well functioning toilets, but they sure know how to drink.
amazeballs
It's always party time in Buenos Aires. Siempre. Someone near you is drinking, there is a liquor store on every corner, and the clubs only get going around 3 am. I'll admit its a bit tough to keep up. This Friday I had a bit of a Previa at my apartment. But then I realized - I didn't have enough alcohol. But then I remembered, I am in a city where partying is the main contact sport, besides futbol. While asking my friend S where I could get things for everyone to drink, he casually goes, "oh just order alcohol from the delivery service." WHAT. Here in BA there is an ALCOHOL DELIVERY SERVICE called San Tome, where you can specify numbers of bottles and types of fernet to your heart's content. Omfg. I guess that solved my problem until I spent 22 minutes haggling with the delivery man because I couldn't figure out why he wouldn't hand over the beers. We just keep repeating the same sentences to one another with more and more intense gesticulation until I just took the liquor and asked for my money back for the beer. It turns out that they have an enforced recycling system with bottles - that I had to give him old bottles to get the new ones (??). It was just like a previa at home, we played "no hago" (never have I ever) and bopped around until 4 am when it was time to go to the club. We went to Jet, aptly named because it is close to the Ezeiza airport. By 6 I was toast and had to call it a night.
This weekend I visited the Recoleta cemetery, which was really incredible. I'm not hopped up on the whole graveyard thing (who is?) but this one was truly beautiful. There are many very intricate graves, mostly above ground, to create a literal ghost town. There is a feria, or street fair, near the cemetery known for crafts from home made argentine shoes to leather goods to wood souvenirs.
Saturday night I met up with my friend I and a few of her friends visiting at a trendy restaurants in Las Canitas, an upscale area of BA. Not only did they make up wait outside for a solid hour (with free champagne, a semi nice gesture) but we ended up eating at 1 am. The restaurant was full. And there was thumping techno. Afterwards we went to a lounge called Mute, which ironically was far too loud.
Continuing in my feria streak yesterday I went to another street fair on the Parque del Centenario, which was full of random crap. Everything from saws to churros to old clothing to cell phones from 1998.
Security is a very serious matter in Argentina, and it is very easy to get swindled in an instant. One typical trick is fake money. I asked a woman at the kiosk nearby my apartment how to tell if a bill is fake. Apparently on a 100 peso bill (about $25 or so dollars) the coloring of the ink and the watermark are easy to fake. Every time i've used a 100 peso bill whomever I've given it to has held it up to the light and sometimes rubbed it on a piece of paper (if it's fake the ink will rub off.)
I think that my Spanish is improving, and one flattering gesture of this is that people have asked me thus far if I'm Brazilian or Puertorican. It's a high complement to not be discovered right off the bat as an american Janqui (Yankee, pronounced jjjjjan-key).
Today was the first day of spring which is a huge deal here, not because it occurs every year or anything. I sat in a park and had Yerba Mate (read: he drank it) with my friend T and it really did feel like the start of warmth. Wahoo eternal summer. More despues.
xoxo
Meredith
This weekend I visited the Recoleta cemetery, which was really incredible. I'm not hopped up on the whole graveyard thing (who is?) but this one was truly beautiful. There are many very intricate graves, mostly above ground, to create a literal ghost town. There is a feria, or street fair, near the cemetery known for crafts from home made argentine shoes to leather goods to wood souvenirs.
Saturday night I met up with my friend I and a few of her friends visiting at a trendy restaurants in Las Canitas, an upscale area of BA. Not only did they make up wait outside for a solid hour (with free champagne, a semi nice gesture) but we ended up eating at 1 am. The restaurant was full. And there was thumping techno. Afterwards we went to a lounge called Mute, which ironically was far too loud.
Continuing in my feria streak yesterday I went to another street fair on the Parque del Centenario, which was full of random crap. Everything from saws to churros to old clothing to cell phones from 1998.
Security is a very serious matter in Argentina, and it is very easy to get swindled in an instant. One typical trick is fake money. I asked a woman at the kiosk nearby my apartment how to tell if a bill is fake. Apparently on a 100 peso bill (about $25 or so dollars) the coloring of the ink and the watermark are easy to fake. Every time i've used a 100 peso bill whomever I've given it to has held it up to the light and sometimes rubbed it on a piece of paper (if it's fake the ink will rub off.)
I think that my Spanish is improving, and one flattering gesture of this is that people have asked me thus far if I'm Brazilian or Puertorican. It's a high complement to not be discovered right off the bat as an american Janqui (Yankee, pronounced jjjjjan-key).
Today was the first day of spring which is a huge deal here, not because it occurs every year or anything. I sat in a park and had Yerba Mate (read: he drank it) with my friend T and it really did feel like the start of warmth. Wahoo eternal summer. More despues.
xoxo
Meredith
Idaho, you da Alfajor
yum.
So just as I decide to switch back to Weebly, I cannot access the site. I am blogging from my friend P's apartment who happens to conveniently live directly below me in my building and we are already MAPS (mejor amigos para siempre, BFFS.) I thought I'd take a minute to talk about a few of the smaller things that I've noticed here, namely interesting types of food and candy. The first, is the Alfajor. (Pronounced Alfa-whore.) It's basically a double decked oreo covered in chocolate. But the fillings are mostly dulce de leche, which is the same as water here. Dulce is a type of caramel (if you say it's caramel you will get yelled at because they are NOT the same) but I'm not sure exactly what the difference is. Will report back. Anyway, the dulce is delish and the alfajors are amazing.
About every 40 feet in Buenos Aires there is a kiosko that sells candy, candy, alfajors, and dulce de leche. As well as phone cards. It's super convenient and they're open almost all night for any little need you might have. It's like a 7-11 24/7.
One thing I love about this city is that in the Centro there is a Obelisko (obelisk) that looks like a mini washington monument. It couldn't be more fitting that I have a baby version of a DC symbol here in BA. More reminders of home came in the form of an expat potluck I went to a few days ago. Tacos, cake, and alfajors aplenty. We all ate a lot and talked about how much we miss peanut butter (for some reason it's extremely difficult to find here.)
F got a huge kick out of the fact that I bought Paparazzi to bring to the gym ("It's the worst magazine we have," endquote.) She said I have to buy Gente (People) and other better fashion/lifestyle mags. She also promises to educate me on the important celebs and the Argentine equivalent of the Kardashians (if that's even possible, they are just so unique and insanely American.)
I had a friend T over for Fernet (ick ick, but the taste is growing on me a little) who went to Penn. We did the whole geografia de Penn etc etc etc and then spent about an hour and a half reenacting our favorite Ace Ventura scenes. Glorious.
I joined the gym Megatlon today for realz and got a trainer named Ariel. He promptly kicked my ass. He has a ponytail (not at all unusual for here.) In fact, I want to take a second to comment on the male hair experience in Buenos Aires. It's a fun game to play really: Argentine or not? 9 times out of 10, if you see a little rat tail, dread lock ('rasta' here), or little tuft at the back of the neck, the guy is argentine. I don't get it. They have a lot of partying in the back in BA.
Shana tova to all, I think this year I will dip apples in dulce.
xoxo
About every 40 feet in Buenos Aires there is a kiosko that sells candy, candy, alfajors, and dulce de leche. As well as phone cards. It's super convenient and they're open almost all night for any little need you might have. It's like a 7-11 24/7.
One thing I love about this city is that in the Centro there is a Obelisko (obelisk) that looks like a mini washington monument. It couldn't be more fitting that I have a baby version of a DC symbol here in BA. More reminders of home came in the form of an expat potluck I went to a few days ago. Tacos, cake, and alfajors aplenty. We all ate a lot and talked about how much we miss peanut butter (for some reason it's extremely difficult to find here.)
F got a huge kick out of the fact that I bought Paparazzi to bring to the gym ("It's the worst magazine we have," endquote.) She said I have to buy Gente (People) and other better fashion/lifestyle mags. She also promises to educate me on the important celebs and the Argentine equivalent of the Kardashians (if that's even possible, they are just so unique and insanely American.)
I had a friend T over for Fernet (ick ick, but the taste is growing on me a little) who went to Penn. We did the whole geografia de Penn etc etc etc and then spent about an hour and a half reenacting our favorite Ace Ventura scenes. Glorious.
I joined the gym Megatlon today for realz and got a trainer named Ariel. He promptly kicked my ass. He has a ponytail (not at all unusual for here.) In fact, I want to take a second to comment on the male hair experience in Buenos Aires. It's a fun game to play really: Argentine or not? 9 times out of 10, if you see a little rat tail, dread lock ('rasta' here), or little tuft at the back of the neck, the guy is argentine. I don't get it. They have a lot of partying in the back in BA.
Shana tova to all, I think this year I will dip apples in dulce.
xoxo
Algunos cambios (changes).
a sign i need more initials
So I've decided to go back to the weebly. Because I can rearrange the paragraphs and put the most recent thing first (DUH) and can add pictures. It also just looks prettier. In terms of comments - email them to me, or just tell me how funny i am. feels nice. Back to what's happening in this hemisphere:
DEL POTRO DEL POTRO! I was so happy when he won against Federer last night. He definitely has to have advanced solely because he is by far the tallest Argentine I've ever seen. All of the guys here are my height or shorter. Feels a bit like Penn. When he won you could hear people in my apartment building screaming and cheering. He's only the second South American to win the US Open. And he's like 5 years old. Now he needs his own insignia like Federer.
Two nights ago I met up with J, who is another random friend I've been emailing with (aka my dad's cousin's favorite twitterer's son.) He is in aband here and his friends are hilarious and very diverse. We hung out at his gorgeous house that he is renting with a few friends from a local artist. So to honor her they're building a very artistic beer pong table in the living room. One member of J's band is Uruguayan and if I thought I couldn't understand the Argentine accent I had never heard an uruguayan speak. I absolutely had zero idea what he was saying, it was very embarrassing. The way that friends have worked for me thus far here - I'm so lucky to find great people, and it's all through friends of friends of friends. It tends to be very random but everyone is kind of in the same boat in terms of reaching out so everyone is very friendly about including me.
I am trying out the gym here, Megatlon. Since my sneakers got pilfered I look like an absolute idiot ellipting in my high tops but until they are confirmed stolen (aka not in a box my mom is sending me) or I buy a new pair I have to make do. It's a pretty nice gym - not as nice as American gyms but pretty close. Everyone here is in veryyy good shape and the gym is full of these super inshape hot argentines. I bought the Argentine version of OK or US Weekly called Paparazzi. I don't know who anyone is so that's something I need to learn. Also the magazine is far more vulgar than any American one - lots of pictures of women in underwear. Maybe I bought the wrong thing? But I dont think so. If it's possible to make US Weekly look puritanical, it did. At least everyone in that magazine is wearing clothing. I got a new phone, so let's hope i hold onto it this time.
besos.
DEL POTRO DEL POTRO! I was so happy when he won against Federer last night. He definitely has to have advanced solely because he is by far the tallest Argentine I've ever seen. All of the guys here are my height or shorter. Feels a bit like Penn. When he won you could hear people in my apartment building screaming and cheering. He's only the second South American to win the US Open. And he's like 5 years old. Now he needs his own insignia like Federer.
Two nights ago I met up with J, who is another random friend I've been emailing with (aka my dad's cousin's favorite twitterer's son.) He is in aband here and his friends are hilarious and very diverse. We hung out at his gorgeous house that he is renting with a few friends from a local artist. So to honor her they're building a very artistic beer pong table in the living room. One member of J's band is Uruguayan and if I thought I couldn't understand the Argentine accent I had never heard an uruguayan speak. I absolutely had zero idea what he was saying, it was very embarrassing. The way that friends have worked for me thus far here - I'm so lucky to find great people, and it's all through friends of friends of friends. It tends to be very random but everyone is kind of in the same boat in terms of reaching out so everyone is very friendly about including me.
I am trying out the gym here, Megatlon. Since my sneakers got pilfered I look like an absolute idiot ellipting in my high tops but until they are confirmed stolen (aka not in a box my mom is sending me) or I buy a new pair I have to make do. It's a pretty nice gym - not as nice as American gyms but pretty close. Everyone here is in veryyy good shape and the gym is full of these super inshape hot argentines. I bought the Argentine version of OK or US Weekly called Paparazzi. I don't know who anyone is so that's something I need to learn. Also the magazine is far more vulgar than any American one - lots of pictures of women in underwear. Maybe I bought the wrong thing? But I dont think so. If it's possible to make US Weekly look puritanical, it did. At least everyone in that magazine is wearing clothing. I got a new phone, so let's hope i hold onto it this time.
besos.
Malba, Volta, Previa.
The Puerto Madero Bridge
Yesterday I went to the MALBA (the modern museum of art) with my friend G. We actually met on the streetcorner - I stopped to ask her for directions haha. I was surprised at how small the MALBA was (only about 3 floors) but a lot of the art was interesting and different from a lot of stuff I've seen before. It was one of the first nice days since I've been here - it's been freezing and rainy. Very London-esque. I sat out on the balcony a bit desperately trying to strech my ethernet cord. I sampled the great gelato/ice cream here at a place called Volta. They have a million exotic flavors and they're all great. Unfortunately, I can't really have much of it due to the lactardedness, sigh. ::insert nag about lactaid pills here:: they don't work well for me.
After cruising around the MALBA I met up with a Argentine Penn friend who quit her job and moved here. We walked around in Palermo Soho and I got a gorgeous leather jacket. BA is known for its leather and it definitely lives up to the rep. The jackets, bags and shoes are amazing and unbelievably priced. So...email me if you want one.
I'm having a lot of trouble getting used to the late lifestyle here - go out at 12/1 and stay out til 5/6. I constantly feel tired and like crap, even though I haven't been out that much. Everyone I've spoken to here tells me it takes a lot of getting used to. I'm not good at it yet. I went to F's "previa" (pregame) last night in her building and I was the only non-Argentine. Everyone was dancing. That's one thing about boys here - they all dance, a lot. With each other, in groups, with girls, and in a flamboyant way that's celebrated. I love it.
Today I went to San Telmo market - A giant open flea market/fair near Puerto Madero. Puerto Madero is being built up with new establishments from Hyatts to Hiltons and the amazing bridge is meant to look like a tango couple. Walking in San Telmo I saw everything from antique cash registers to Yerba Mate pipes (The tea/herb everyone drinks here.)
I learned how to take the bus finally thanks to my friend M. She showed me the ropes - you have to flag buses here or they'll drive right by you. It's bizarre.
After cruising around the MALBA I met up with a Argentine Penn friend who quit her job and moved here. We walked around in Palermo Soho and I got a gorgeous leather jacket. BA is known for its leather and it definitely lives up to the rep. The jackets, bags and shoes are amazing and unbelievably priced. So...email me if you want one.
I'm having a lot of trouble getting used to the late lifestyle here - go out at 12/1 and stay out til 5/6. I constantly feel tired and like crap, even though I haven't been out that much. Everyone I've spoken to here tells me it takes a lot of getting used to. I'm not good at it yet. I went to F's "previa" (pregame) last night in her building and I was the only non-Argentine. Everyone was dancing. That's one thing about boys here - they all dance, a lot. With each other, in groups, with girls, and in a flamboyant way that's celebrated. I love it.
Today I went to San Telmo market - A giant open flea market/fair near Puerto Madero. Puerto Madero is being built up with new establishments from Hyatts to Hiltons and the amazing bridge is meant to look like a tango couple. Walking in San Telmo I saw everything from antique cash registers to Yerba Mate pipes (The tea/herb everyone drinks here.)
I learned how to take the bus finally thanks to my friend M. She showed me the ropes - you have to flag buses here or they'll drive right by you. It's bizarre.
Meriendas and Haircuts
Lord help me I've gone to get a haircut. I'm sitting under the dryer with some conditioner in. Let's hope I sort of understand what's going on and don't come out looking like Kristen Stewart does Janis Joplin.Re: haircut - it looks great, its not even half the price I pay at home, and I got a protein treatment. Sick.
I had to go to the justice department to start my visa. The immigration officer wants to introduce me to his son.
After my corte I'm going to a merienda, or a tea for a birthday for my friend F. I'm excited to see a real argentine tradition.The merienda was so much fun. I met all of F's friends who are so nice. I have to say one thing I am so taken aback by here is how friendly and generous argentines are. Everyone wants to help me adjust. And I got some empanadas to bring home. Yummy. I learned some more slang from F's friends, which was very important. Some of which are:1. Drunk - ebria2. Booty call - llamada de las cinco de la manana (which is hilarious because 5 am in the us is the early morning...)3. Floja - lightweight.
Here I am known as "mer." Its near impossible to pronounce Meredith and very few people have heard of it. Except for Grey's Anatomy fans so I've started dropping the name of the show. It often doesn't help. But sometimes it does.
F says that if I want to correspond with boys here I have to download MSN messenger. okay.
I've been heavily warned about security here and thus far i've been okay. However, my sneakers were stolen out of my suitcase at the airport. But you aren't allowed to lock your luggage in the US...catch 22.
Friday, September 11
I have yet to do anything intellectual here so I am going on a walking tour or straight to a museum. Last night I brought F and 2 of her friends to a house party thrown by some penn kids. It felt like NSO all over again. But it was full of Americans and I finally realized I'm not doing a penn abroad this time - I'm here just doing my own thing. While its nice to know penn people here its good to not be in the bubble anymore. Another note: the music here. All they listen to is reggaeton. Woof. (like the music last night.)I've taken to going to mcdonalds "mccafe" for coffee. The difference between a mcdonalds here and a mcdonalds in the us: nobody is eating larger than a small fry. There are no fat people here. None. Statistically, Argentina has the 2nd highest prevalence of anorexia and bulimia, right after Japan. I can believe it - I've never seen women so tiny in my life. This trip has illuminated my absolute map illiteracy. I absolutely blow chunks at reading maps. Serious chunks. I look at the map, see where I am, see where I am going, and then walk in the opposite direction. Then I turn back around. I've gotten good at looking like I remembered something or dropped something so I can turn around and walk past the same places and people so that I don't look like a total idiota.I managed to make to the Jardin Botanico (botanical garden) and the zoo today. Saw lots of animales. In the Jardin Botanico there were a zillion types of different plants, in addition to an old lady sunbaithing in a bikini. And stray cats. Lots of stray cats.
I had to go to the justice department to start my visa. The immigration officer wants to introduce me to his son.
After my corte I'm going to a merienda, or a tea for a birthday for my friend F. I'm excited to see a real argentine tradition.The merienda was so much fun. I met all of F's friends who are so nice. I have to say one thing I am so taken aback by here is how friendly and generous argentines are. Everyone wants to help me adjust. And I got some empanadas to bring home. Yummy. I learned some more slang from F's friends, which was very important. Some of which are:1. Drunk - ebria2. Booty call - llamada de las cinco de la manana (which is hilarious because 5 am in the us is the early morning...)3. Floja - lightweight.
Here I am known as "mer." Its near impossible to pronounce Meredith and very few people have heard of it. Except for Grey's Anatomy fans so I've started dropping the name of the show. It often doesn't help. But sometimes it does.
F says that if I want to correspond with boys here I have to download MSN messenger. okay.
I've been heavily warned about security here and thus far i've been okay. However, my sneakers were stolen out of my suitcase at the airport. But you aren't allowed to lock your luggage in the US...catch 22.
Friday, September 11
I have yet to do anything intellectual here so I am going on a walking tour or straight to a museum. Last night I brought F and 2 of her friends to a house party thrown by some penn kids. It felt like NSO all over again. But it was full of Americans and I finally realized I'm not doing a penn abroad this time - I'm here just doing my own thing. While its nice to know penn people here its good to not be in the bubble anymore. Another note: the music here. All they listen to is reggaeton. Woof. (like the music last night.)I've taken to going to mcdonalds "mccafe" for coffee. The difference between a mcdonalds here and a mcdonalds in the us: nobody is eating larger than a small fry. There are no fat people here. None. Statistically, Argentina has the 2nd highest prevalence of anorexia and bulimia, right after Japan. I can believe it - I've never seen women so tiny in my life. This trip has illuminated my absolute map illiteracy. I absolutely blow chunks at reading maps. Serious chunks. I look at the map, see where I am, see where I am going, and then walk in the opposite direction. Then I turn back around. I've gotten good at looking like I remembered something or dropped something so I can turn around and walk past the same places and people so that I don't look like a total idiota.I managed to make to the Jardin Botanico (botanical garden) and the zoo today. Saw lots of animales. In the Jardin Botanico there were a zillion types of different plants, in addition to an old lady sunbaithing in a bikini. And stray cats. Lots of stray cats.
La Oficina: More Like Mad Men Than I Thought
Went into Y+R this morning. Everyone couldn't have been nicer. They all kiss hello. Like agencias de publicidad en los EEUU, the majority of the office is female. What's odd and antiquated - you can smoke in the office. Gross. In the words of A: "So now you'll smell like you came from an Owls Party at Red Sky every day of the week." Well put.
I signed the lease on the duplex - I love it. Pictures:
I signed the lease on the duplex - I love it. Pictures:
upstairs
downstairs
my new favorite store.
balcony of the hotel
Pisco, Muebles, Leases, and Cupcakes
Day 4: More Apartments and Learning How to Drink Pisco
Got up early to finalize apartment stuff. Which it wasn't. I've learned that here people kind of take their time (that's true essentially anywhere outside of the US). And more important, they pay for everything in cash. Swiping for your $3 at wawa doesn't work here. I am testing out the apartment that I love. It's a gorgeous Duplex with a piscina (woo woo) and I'm trying to get a feel for the area. Went out with a friend of a friend who's my first Argentine, we will call him S. We went to a friend of S's who had a gorgeous penthouse sick apartment with beautiful views of the city. Not too shabby. I met a lot of his friends - both boys and girls. Everyone here is so attractive its ridiculous. Boys and girls. Argentina 1, America 0. I called it a night at 4:30 when everyone else was on their way to the nightclub. I better buck up.
PHOTOS SOON.
xoxo
Yesterday I was introduced to the argentine shopaholics. I met with 2 girls and they took me to a shopping mall. Felt just like home. We even played geografia judia. I bought a fabuloso pair of shoes and we talked about boys and como se dice "hangover" as well as the merits of Forever 21.
I couldn't figure out how to turn on the heater and felt like a total idiot.
I always find it interesting that Americans drink so much iced coffee but that concept is lost in places I've lived like Spain and now here. They only make iced espresso - and it makes American coffee seem like water.Engrish: el uso de english here is so funny. New favorite store: Lovers+Fuckers. Seriously.
Also very important new word: PREVIA = PREGAME.Bastardos sin gloria: 2 tix for the 8 o clock - 30 pesos ($8). We're being overcharged.A cupcake shop opened in Palermo Soho - hilarious because the cupcakes are about half the size of even the smallest Crumbs cupcake. They also have savory-type cupcakes - I had one with chicken and guacamole in a tortilla shell. Que raro.
Here are a few pictures I took of my hotel, "Five Cool Rooms." Slightly deceiving - cool yes, but more than 5.
Got up early to finalize apartment stuff. Which it wasn't. I've learned that here people kind of take their time (that's true essentially anywhere outside of the US). And more important, they pay for everything in cash. Swiping for your $3 at wawa doesn't work here. I am testing out the apartment that I love. It's a gorgeous Duplex with a piscina (woo woo) and I'm trying to get a feel for the area. Went out with a friend of a friend who's my first Argentine, we will call him S. We went to a friend of S's who had a gorgeous penthouse sick apartment with beautiful views of the city. Not too shabby. I met a lot of his friends - both boys and girls. Everyone here is so attractive its ridiculous. Boys and girls. Argentina 1, America 0. I called it a night at 4:30 when everyone else was on their way to the nightclub. I better buck up.
PHOTOS SOON.
xoxo
Yesterday I was introduced to the argentine shopaholics. I met with 2 girls and they took me to a shopping mall. Felt just like home. We even played geografia judia. I bought a fabuloso pair of shoes and we talked about boys and como se dice "hangover" as well as the merits of Forever 21.
I couldn't figure out how to turn on the heater and felt like a total idiot.
I always find it interesting that Americans drink so much iced coffee but that concept is lost in places I've lived like Spain and now here. They only make iced espresso - and it makes American coffee seem like water.Engrish: el uso de english here is so funny. New favorite store: Lovers+Fuckers. Seriously.
Also very important new word: PREVIA = PREGAME.Bastardos sin gloria: 2 tix for the 8 o clock - 30 pesos ($8). We're being overcharged.A cupcake shop opened in Palermo Soho - hilarious because the cupcakes are about half the size of even the smallest Crumbs cupcake. They also have savory-type cupcakes - I had one with chicken and guacamole in a tortilla shell. Que raro.
Here are a few pictures I took of my hotel, "Five Cool Rooms." Slightly deceiving - cool yes, but more than 5.
First Three Days: Che Chau Vos.
Y aqui empieza el viaje. Here starts the trip. Flight: Brutal. Professional Snowboarders seated in front of me on their way to ski in Patagonia: cool. When I arrived I was exhausted and surprised at the London-esque weather - 55 and rainy. The Remis (taxi) dropped me off in the hip area of BA known as "Palermo" and the uber chic "Palermo Soho." I'm glad I have two chic Soho's that I've experienced, and it's a toss up as to which one is better.
The hotel I'm staying in follows the chic ambiance of the area - pseudo minimalist meets ikea-esque designs meets brightly colored store fronts meets espanol. I'm so lucky that I made teh transition to speaking Spanish smoothly - I'm sure that my posts will get increasingly Spanish-ified as I begin to operate entirely en espanol. The accent is different from the Castillian Spanish that I speak - there's a lot of ch-ing and sh-ing. Also, remember when in every Spanish class the teacher told you not to worry about "vosotros" conjugations because they only used them in Argentina? Well, the good news is thats true. The bad news is that's true.
The first place I went sadly was Starbucks, but in this trendy area its not unusual to find American shops (Barbour and Ralph Lauren are very popular) and English spliced into Spanish in funny ways that make absolutely no sense.
Speaking of Spanish spliced into English and vice versa: this website is named "Soy therefore I am" in a somewhat silly attempt to create several entendres or puns. Aka Soy means "I am" in Spanish but I am also lactose intolerant and rely heavily on Soy products. I'm glad my Penn education is being put to good use.
After my latte con soja I walked around and saw the beautiful boutiques in Palermo Soho. It reminded me a lot of parts of Melrose or Venice in LA where each storefront is very different looking. BA seems very European and Cosmopolitan, and its residents are equally as beautiful and well dressed as other places I've been like Barcelona or Paris. I digress. I decided that the first order of business after trying to somewhat orient myself (which proved nearly impossible) I met up with a friend of a friend of a friend I've been emailing with. For the purposes of public blogging/websiting, privacy and an attempt to pretend I'm gossip girl, we'll call him C. C helped me get a little crappy outdated cell phone that I sort of know how to use. I then sampled the famous red wine and passed out.
Day 2: Departamento? Compartamiento? Apartamento?
If apartment hunting in the US blows chunks, try a foreign country, and a city you've never been to. I ran around to about 6 different apartments, the first with C. We both agreed it was heinously creepy. But it only went up from there. Even though it was a struggle to get around it helped me orient myself a little better. All the places I looked at were in Palermo (Palermo is the largest neighborhood of BA and there are several different subneighborhoods within it). I found a few I liked, and one I LOVE. Fingers crossed.
I then decided to have a few "friends" (Read: people I have emailed with and have never met) over to my hotel to go out. I met up with a friend of a friend from Penn, who will go by M, who was fantastic and has been here for a while and helped me find my way. So she and C and I and 2 other girls drank on the shi shi roof of my hotel. Let's just say I'm out of party mode, made it to 1 bar, wobbled on the cobblestones in my heels, and came home.
Day 3:
If you have read this far thank you. I dont even know if this is making sense. Write more soon. Unsure what tone this blog will take, but for now I'll just keep whoever is reading this updated on my gallavanting. the 3 most important words here:
Che: like Vale in Spain, doesn't really mean anything. But it also means anything and everything.
Chau: Adios, hasta luego, etc.
Vos: Means you, him, it, whatever.
The hotel I'm staying in follows the chic ambiance of the area - pseudo minimalist meets ikea-esque designs meets brightly colored store fronts meets espanol. I'm so lucky that I made teh transition to speaking Spanish smoothly - I'm sure that my posts will get increasingly Spanish-ified as I begin to operate entirely en espanol. The accent is different from the Castillian Spanish that I speak - there's a lot of ch-ing and sh-ing. Also, remember when in every Spanish class the teacher told you not to worry about "vosotros" conjugations because they only used them in Argentina? Well, the good news is thats true. The bad news is that's true.
The first place I went sadly was Starbucks, but in this trendy area its not unusual to find American shops (Barbour and Ralph Lauren are very popular) and English spliced into Spanish in funny ways that make absolutely no sense.
Speaking of Spanish spliced into English and vice versa: this website is named "Soy therefore I am" in a somewhat silly attempt to create several entendres or puns. Aka Soy means "I am" in Spanish but I am also lactose intolerant and rely heavily on Soy products. I'm glad my Penn education is being put to good use.
After my latte con soja I walked around and saw the beautiful boutiques in Palermo Soho. It reminded me a lot of parts of Melrose or Venice in LA where each storefront is very different looking. BA seems very European and Cosmopolitan, and its residents are equally as beautiful and well dressed as other places I've been like Barcelona or Paris. I digress. I decided that the first order of business after trying to somewhat orient myself (which proved nearly impossible) I met up with a friend of a friend of a friend I've been emailing with. For the purposes of public blogging/websiting, privacy and an attempt to pretend I'm gossip girl, we'll call him C. C helped me get a little crappy outdated cell phone that I sort of know how to use. I then sampled the famous red wine and passed out.
Day 2: Departamento? Compartamiento? Apartamento?
If apartment hunting in the US blows chunks, try a foreign country, and a city you've never been to. I ran around to about 6 different apartments, the first with C. We both agreed it was heinously creepy. But it only went up from there. Even though it was a struggle to get around it helped me orient myself a little better. All the places I looked at were in Palermo (Palermo is the largest neighborhood of BA and there are several different subneighborhoods within it). I found a few I liked, and one I LOVE. Fingers crossed.
I then decided to have a few "friends" (Read: people I have emailed with and have never met) over to my hotel to go out. I met up with a friend of a friend from Penn, who will go by M, who was fantastic and has been here for a while and helped me find my way. So she and C and I and 2 other girls drank on the shi shi roof of my hotel. Let's just say I'm out of party mode, made it to 1 bar, wobbled on the cobblestones in my heels, and came home.
Day 3:
If you have read this far thank you. I dont even know if this is making sense. Write more soon. Unsure what tone this blog will take, but for now I'll just keep whoever is reading this updated on my gallavanting. the 3 most important words here:
Che: like Vale in Spain, doesn't really mean anything. But it also means anything and everything.
Chau: Adios, hasta luego, etc.
Vos: Means you, him, it, whatever.
