#32

Today, I learned another valuable lesson:

Always count your change! I was shorted 18pesos today at the train station. Oops.

¡Hace un mes!

We landed in BsAs a little more than a month ago, but it feels like it has only been a week!

This grand city continues to amaze me, and that is part of the reason I haven't had any time to blog. Homework can also take some of the blame. Although I know I haven't described my university yet, it just so happens to be a Friday and school has quickly retreated to the back of my mind.

Instead, I've decided to recount 31 things that I have learned from BsAs from the first 31 days.

1) Walking everywhere is such a fun way to see a city.

2) Every block (in Recoleta, at least) has an average of two small grocery stores, two cafes, and one 'Maxikiosk' (essentially a gas station without the gas).

3) It is also super easy to find a bookstore. They're everywhere.

4) When walking on the sidewalk, keep one eye on the beautiful buildings and the other on the ground to watch for dog poop.

5) Pirated movies, doorstops, socks, scarfs, books, maps, incense, magazines, lighters, power converters, toys, flowers, necklaces, and thermoses are just a few of the things that people sell on the street.

6) It is RARE to see an African-Argentine.

7) American stores are few and far between.

8) The 'Subte' never gets old. Get back to me in another month.

9) However, at certains times of the day, the 'Subte' becomes less of a subway and more of a human sardine can.

10) When in Argentina, arriving on time is of little importance.

11) Parties do not start until 1 or 2am (I have yet to find out when they end. I always leave before it's over).

12) Argentines talk with their hands. They even have hand signals for certain phrases like 'I don't know' or 'It's the absolute best'.

13) Every restaurant (big and small) charges a fee for the use of their tables. DO NOT unknowingly order to-go, then sit at a table. The staff of the restaurant WILL whisper to each other and point at you.

14) Waiters will only come to your table if you make eye contact with them or call them over.

15) Argentines LOVE mate(a drink), alfajores(a dessert), sandwiches, steaks, olives, coffee, empanadas(heaven), pizza, and ice cream (an entire blog devoted to food coming soon).

16) I love all of the above, especially empanadas.

17) Peanut butter and salsa are nearly impossible to find...I don't want to talk about it.

18) Argentines love art in every form.

19) Public displays of affection are commonplace.

20) Rollerblading. It happens here.

21) Everything can be delivered to your doorstep.

22) Drying clothes on a clothesline has its perks.

23) 'El Colectivo' (the public bus system) is a ruthless monster. The newspaper said that ten people were hit by buses last week.

24) Over-the-counter medication requires a prescription.

25) The trash is left on the curb and collected (almost secretly, it seems) during the night.

26) Fewer Argentines like Evita than I imagined (stereotype officially broken).

27) Not everyone dances the Tango (stereotype #2 officially broken).

28) Graffiti is not only everywhere, it's also very political.

29) Street signs are sponsored (for example: 'Claro' the name of a phone company here, sits above all of the street signs in Recoleta).

30) Who said dogs need leashes?

31) 308,000 students attend the University of Buenos Aires. Yes: 308,000. (It's free).

I'm still enjoying every day and my Spanish is improving rapidly!

Although I miss home, I can't complain. This month has proven to be wonderful and I can't wait to see what I can learn in the next four!

Nos vemos,

Clint

I've been too busy to blog lately, I need to catch up!

But alas...I'm about to go eat empanadas which means I will definitely be enjoying those instead of typing on my computer.

First class!

My first class was perfect!

The teacher, like all Argentines, speaks rapidly, and I did not understand everything, but she is EXTREMELY sweet, very wise, and empathizes with international students because she has studied all over the world. She made it clear that if I need anything, it won't be a problem.

Also, a side note...

The vast majority of people that I have met, Argentine or not, can speak at least broken English, as well as a possible third language.

At orientation, there were only 6 students (out of 200-ish) who live in English-speaking countries. However, they presented everything in Spanish, then in English for all of the foriegn students who already know English AND German/Italian/Swedish/Portuguese/French and/or some other language.

Cheap food is good food

For less than US$15, I just bought a 2liter bottle of water, a small mug, four mandarin oranges, a family pack of crackers, a 5-pack of instant soup, a box of tea bags, bouillon cubes, a jar of jelly, and an eco-friendly shopping bag. Whoa.

More from the first week..

Hola otra vez,

I hope this post finds you well.
Without question, I'm still enjoying every minute in this 'ciudad bellísima'!
Where to begin?

The other students (and some non-students) in our 'residencia' not only welcomed us, but have been happy to hang out, party, and travel the city with us as well. Most of them arrived within the last month, although a few have been here for half a year. They hail from many different countries: the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, France, Peru, Germany, Spain, Canada and Mexico. Although Jose (my roommate) attends St. Edward's, he is originally from Mexico, which makes me the resident American.* Not only are we geographically diverse, but we are all here for different reasons. We have a girl getting an advanced degree to be a doctor, two guys pursuing culinary degrees (one of which gladly cooks delicious meals for us all the time), an artist who is about to move to New York for an exhibition, and quite a few undergrads just studying abroad. Everyone in the 'residencia' speaks Spanish, and for the first few days, I could not understand anything. The Spanish that I had always heard seems about 85mph slower than Venezuelan, Peruvian, Argentine, or Dominican Spanish, but I'm beginning to pick it up little by little!

Our first afternoon, all four of us from St. Edward's met downtown to see UADE and to eat dinner, which in Argentina typically starts at 8pm or 9pm, maybe later. In fact, the typical restaurant or cafe won't close until 1am or 2am! We picked a nice cafe (there are thousands here) near UADE and ate tostadas and pizza. After that, we decided to hang out in Recoleta in our 'residencia' with all of the other residents. We quickly learned that staying up until 4am is not uncommon....and neither is sleeping in.

The next day, the four of us decided to look for the Atlantic Ocean, so we met again near the school on Avenida 9 de Julio (the main street of the city), and walked toward the blue part of our map. BA is divided into many 'barrios,' or neighborhoods.** We walked through San Telmo, which seems to be an older 'barrio' with more colonial architecture and cobblestone streets. It has a lot of antique stores, street vendors, and Calle Florida, a nice shopping center.

By this time, the weather was horrible and we were freezing, but we persisted toward Puerto Madero, the newest and nicest 'barrio'. Puerto Madero houses the ports, which have been a key feature of the city since it was founded, as well as modern high rises, calming parks that offer a much needed escape from the busier 'barrios', and a really fun and abstract pedestrian bridge called Puente de la Mujer. We never officially saw the ocean, but we did see plenty of people rollerblading and a cool boat.

Miserable from the cold, we walked back to the Subte (the 'subterráneo' or subway) to head back to Recoleta. The Subte has been really convenient, so far. It consists of six separate lines that fan out from the center of the city. We have an entrance to the Subte very close to our 'residencia' and it only takes us ten to fifteen minutes to reach our exit at the school! It can definitely get crowded at times, but I prefer it over taking the bus, which much slower. On top of that, it's extremely cheap! The people of BA claim that their public transportation is the cheapest in the world because the government pays for half of it. For 1.10pesos (about 30cents in the US) I can ride from one end of the city to the other! Maybe it's because I've never taken a subway before, or maybe it's the price, or the speed, or the freelance musicians near the exits and free newspapers on weekdays, but I love it!

On Saturday, I visited the Zoológico de Buenos Aires with people from the 'residencia', It's in Palermo, near the Plaza Italia.*** Even though it was crowded beyond imagination, it was definitely elegant. I also learned a lot of fun animal names in Spanish!

Yesterday, we were invited to eat with other international students from UADE at a Peruvian restaurant in Palermo. Wow. It was some of the richest food that I've tasted in a while and the Peruvian students that were with us gave it their stamp of approval. We paid for the buffet, which included traditional Peruvian delicacies from every part of the country. They had three different kinds of ceviche, yucca, a potato and lemon puree, purple rice, a sweet potato thing that wasn't a sweet potato, a fish soup, and some kind of out-of-this-world dessert which tasted like Christmas. It was a little expensive (US$20), but we ate until we were full!

Check out my pictures! Hopefully the link on the right side is working. We went back to Puerto Madero yesterday and took better pictures. Also, in the spirit of keeping things authentic, I will no longer spell 'ciao' the Italian way. I forgot I was in a Spanish-speaking country!

So....chao!!

Clint

*Dahn-dahn-daaaaaaaaaahn.

Only kidding! Contrary to popular belief, aside from jokingly calling my Yankee (yes, I told them I'm from Texas) no one has treated me any differently simply because I'm from 'los Estados Unidos'...knock on wood.

**Boca, Constitución, San Telmo, Monserrat, San Cristóbal, Puerto Madero, San Nicolás, Retiro, Recoleta (where I live), Palermo, and Belgrano, constitute the major parts of the city, although there are many more.

***Buenos Aires is very Italian. Sometimes I think that the city has purposefully and methodically stationed pizzerias on every other block. What's more, they say 'chao' instead of 'adios'!