Monday, June 29, 2009
Me vs. The Chicken
JFlo and I went on an adventure to Olivos yesterday. There wasn't much open because of elections - most of the stores were closed, and they aren't allowed to sell alcohol, and everyone is required by law to vote. Most people are pretty active in politics, and I believe a new president has been elected! But, we did find an enormous Coto - a target-like supermarket. I got the last bunch of brocoli, and some delicious carrots. Then, I used it to cook my host family a delicious dinner of pad thai! Yum! I took some for lunch today. I asked Adriana, my host mom, if she had any chicken and she gave me a whole one. like, a whole one. with bones and everything. I did the obvious, which was to look up on you tube how to debone a chicken and then I did it! But golly, the chicken sure put up a fight and I now have a lot of respect for those who do this well. We had 8 hours of class because we had to make up for one last week when the professor was sick.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Bam! That's how fast time goes by here...
In comparison to other cities I've seen, Buenos Aires is huge. Like wow. On Wednesday and Thursday, my program went on two extremely long tours with a short and plump man named Alejandro. He was a seasoned tour guide who spoke with great energy. A mini-bus picked us all up after classes, and we went to La Boca, San Telmo, Recoleta, Palermo, the Microcenter and probably some other places. I had a slight problem staying awake during the first hour of each tour because we had just finished lunch and I was sleepy. : )
Attractions:
La Boca is where all the tourists go; It's like a street fair everyday with tango shows, and lots of delicious alfahores (yummy cookies with dulche de leche). All of the buildings are brightly colored and some have 3D figures coming off the side of them. *We also went to the oldest cafe in Buenos Aires, where I had the best hot chocolate ever. Hot Chocolate is just heavenly when made correctly. *There was also this famous cemetary where there's rows and rows of huge altars and mausoleums for families (mostly very wealthy ones). The coffins are right there, above ground, like nothing I've ever seen before. *A 6 million dollar flower sculpture that's a shiny gold color was donated to the city a while back. It open during the day and closes during the night, just like real flowers! *The art museum of a famous guy who did a lot of astrology and invented a universal language was also cool.
Chinatown:
I woke up Friday and my host sister was going to work near Chinatown, so I went too! Chinatown is 2 blocks here, and kind of expensive. I got all the ingredients necesary for pad thai, and then I dined at this neoThai restaurant, which was really wasn't very good. There's a $6 for eating in the restaurant and the pad thai had way too much tamarind and not enough sugar and salt = sour!!
Una fiesta:
My host sister invited me and some friends from the program to her friends birthday party last night and it was so much fun! I practiced my spanish, listened to music and danced! The schedule here is a bit different - parties start at 2 in the morning and go until about 6. So I took a nap before going and I'm really glad I did. It was packed and awesome.
Dish Covers:
In the US, are there saran wrap covers for plates, shaped like shower caps? Because they have them here and they are so useful!! It makes it way easier to get something that needs to stay covered, and then just cover it right back up, instead of having to push all the edges down again!
Adventure:
Today I rode a bike to the train station, and then took the train to Martinez, where I went to the equivalent of Newbury Street in Boston - lots of expensive and nice things. Fun adventure. I really like riding bikes. (My mom will probably tell me not to, don't worry, it's safe!)
Slow Cars:
So as I was riding my bike, I approached a car that was moving extrememly slowly. I was cautious...why was this car going so slowly near me? But as it passed me, it was actually two old ladies chatting in the front seat, both looking at each other and not at where the car was going. hahahahaha. That was funny.
Politics:
Tomorrow is election day in Buenos Aires. Right now, the president is a woman (the second one in BA!) I wonder who will be next!
Attractions:
La Boca is where all the tourists go; It's like a street fair everyday with tango shows, and lots of delicious alfahores (yummy cookies with dulche de leche). All of the buildings are brightly colored and some have 3D figures coming off the side of them. *We also went to the oldest cafe in Buenos Aires, where I had the best hot chocolate ever. Hot Chocolate is just heavenly when made correctly. *There was also this famous cemetary where there's rows and rows of huge altars and mausoleums for families (mostly very wealthy ones). The coffins are right there, above ground, like nothing I've ever seen before. *A 6 million dollar flower sculpture that's a shiny gold color was donated to the city a while back. It open during the day and closes during the night, just like real flowers! *The art museum of a famous guy who did a lot of astrology and invented a universal language was also cool.
Chinatown:
I woke up Friday and my host sister was going to work near Chinatown, so I went too! Chinatown is 2 blocks here, and kind of expensive. I got all the ingredients necesary for pad thai, and then I dined at this neoThai restaurant, which was really wasn't very good. There's a $6 for eating in the restaurant and the pad thai had way too much tamarind and not enough sugar and salt = sour!!
Una fiesta:
My host sister invited me and some friends from the program to her friends birthday party last night and it was so much fun! I practiced my spanish, listened to music and danced! The schedule here is a bit different - parties start at 2 in the morning and go until about 6. So I took a nap before going and I'm really glad I did. It was packed and awesome.
Dish Covers:
In the US, are there saran wrap covers for plates, shaped like shower caps? Because they have them here and they are so useful!! It makes it way easier to get something that needs to stay covered, and then just cover it right back up, instead of having to push all the edges down again!
Adventure:
Today I rode a bike to the train station, and then took the train to Martinez, where I went to the equivalent of Newbury Street in Boston - lots of expensive and nice things. Fun adventure. I really like riding bikes. (My mom will probably tell me not to, don't worry, it's safe!)
Slow Cars:
So as I was riding my bike, I approached a car that was moving extrememly slowly. I was cautious...why was this car going so slowly near me? But as it passed me, it was actually two old ladies chatting in the front seat, both looking at each other and not at where the car was going. hahahahaha. That was funny.
Politics:
Tomorrow is election day in Buenos Aires. Right now, the president is a woman (the second one in BA!) I wonder who will be next!
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Boating Clubs
Boating Clubs in Buenos Aires are similar to Country Clubs in the US. Fenced in and guarded from the surrounding community, most clubs tend to hug the "Rio de la Plata" river. There, boats await to be used by those who inhabit the lovely houses, hence the name Boating Clubs. Like in many parts of the world, these luxurious homes are rather close to less pleasant neighborhoods. This propinquity ensures that residents must know about the different lifestyles that exist. Does this knowledge spur people to take action? I would think so, but where does one find the progress that is being made?
There are little houses with guards inside around the neighborhood, to ensure safety. I think that's pretty nifty.
Went to my first grocery store today, just for kicks. I loved it, even though there was no peanut butter to be found amidst an entire row of jelly/jam!
Also went to downtown Buenos Aires on a bus tour with my program! That was awesome! More on that big adventure soon!
There are little houses with guards inside around the neighborhood, to ensure safety. I think that's pretty nifty.
Went to my first grocery store today, just for kicks. I loved it, even though there was no peanut butter to be found amidst an entire row of jelly/jam!
Also went to downtown Buenos Aires on a bus tour with my program! That was awesome! More on that big adventure soon!
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Ravioli
Yum Yum Yum, I love ravioli! My host parents bought delicious handmade ravioli with salsa today! It was so delicious, I had to rip myself away from the table!
Also, I am in the intermediate class at UDESA, and my professor of Argentine culture was way awesome. I can't believe I have only been here for two days! I do a lot of relaxing, and hanging out with new friends - the good things in life. Plus, I get to talk to my host family more everyday and they are just the nicest and most patient people ever and help me when I am stumbling over words. My Spanish vocab has probably increased 1,000 fold since I've been here.
Winter here is really like spring or fall in Cambridge, the sun has been shining and I hope it continues! Tomorrow we are going to downtown Buenos Aires!! Whoo-hoo!!
Also, I am in the intermediate class at UDESA, and my professor of Argentine culture was way awesome. I can't believe I have only been here for two days! I do a lot of relaxing, and hanging out with new friends - the good things in life. Plus, I get to talk to my host family more everyday and they are just the nicest and most patient people ever and help me when I am stumbling over words. My Spanish vocab has probably increased 1,000 fold since I've been here.
Winter here is really like spring or fall in Cambridge, the sun has been shining and I hope it continues! Tomorrow we are going to downtown Buenos Aires!! Whoo-hoo!!
Monday, June 22, 2009
UDESA
Today was the orientation for the Spanish program that I am doing at the Universidad de San Andres! There are 2 boys and like 14 girls doing my program, which is fine because the actual students at the university (who are taking their final exams right now) seem to be mostly male. : )
In other news, my suitcases arrived from United today! yay! I unpacked into my nifty room - where there are two beds just for me!!! I also went on an adventure with Alli, a girl I met today along the Avenida de Peron. We had a little trouble meeting up, but that's okay because now I'm an expert at saying "I'm looking for this street, do you know where it is?" Pretty cool, huh? I also had my first microluna today, which is a yummy pastry, kind of like a croissant.
First real classes tomorrow!
In other news, my suitcases arrived from United today! yay! I unpacked into my nifty room - where there are two beds just for me!!! I also went on an adventure with Alli, a girl I met today along the Avenida de Peron. We had a little trouble meeting up, but that's okay because now I'm an expert at saying "I'm looking for this street, do you know where it is?" Pretty cool, huh? I also had my first microluna today, which is a yummy pastry, kind of like a croissant.
First real classes tomorrow!
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Victoria
Hola de Buenos Aires! I finally made it! I'm so happy. I just waited in so many lines - I never want to be in another one again. Holy smokes, the line to check in at Dulles airport is insane, the trick is to enter from the other side, but I learned that the hard way.
The guy who picked me up was cool, and so is my host family! They are super friendly and it's bomb to get to use my Spanish. Although, half the time I have trouble thinking of the right words to say. I have my own cute little room, and the daughter, Miligros, let me borrow some clothes because my suitcases are stuck in Washington DC until tomorrow. It's about 55 degrees with pecs of sunlight - def not bad for winter! I'm chillin' in Victoria today, and am excited to start classes tomorrow!
The guy who picked me up was cool, and so is my host family! They are super friendly and it's bomb to get to use my Spanish. Although, half the time I have trouble thinking of the right words to say. I have my own cute little room, and the daughter, Miligros, let me borrow some clothes because my suitcases are stuck in Washington DC until tomorrow. It's about 55 degrees with pecs of sunlight - def not bad for winter! I'm chillin' in Victoria today, and am excited to start classes tomorrow!
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Weddings
I have witnessed at least two wedding parties in the last 24 hours. I am hanging out at the Lansdowne Resort, in Leesburg, VA (http://www.lansdowneresort.com/). Why? Because my flight from Seattle was delayed, which made me miss my connection to Buenos Aires. : ( But not to worry because I got a good rest in last night in a lovely room, complements of United. Plus, the good company of Eva G, and the good food packed by my mom, has sustained me quite well! Even so, the horrendous lines and service makes me want to avoid this airline in the future. Sidenote: there was a raving party going on when I arrived at this Resort - for a second, I had the urge to become a "wedding crasher" for a night. hehe.
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