On a rainy day here, I like to watch people on the street. There are men on every corner saying "paraguas diez pesos paraguas muy baratoooooo" (cheap, 3 US$ umbrella). Interestingly enough, all the Argentines stick with their tattered umbrellas that either have one metal bracket poking out the side (putting all others' eyes around them in danger) or turn inside out with the wind. The motorcyclists wear a full outfit of black rain gear - pants, hat, boots and coat. Some other men have the bright yellow full-length raincoat. The more high-end Portenas (Argentine women) color-coordinate their umbrellas with their shoes or shirt.
I have learned to conquer "Avenida 9 de Julio", which is a 15-lane highway with like 4 dividers you have to cross. I started walking across it, but you can never make every WALK signal before the cars speed up to try to nail you. Now I just sprint - and I usually make it.
On main streets, you will see Burger King and McDonalds on almost every corner. They are pretty hardcore. Sometimes, they have two levels, and are immaculate with security guards. They are more expensive than in the US, too ($6 for a salad, $2 for a small fry). Because they are so obsessed with coffee here, McDonalds has a McCafe - a little stand with empanadas and tortas and coffee.
One of my students said every Sunday after church, her husband makes hamburgers and hot dogs, then their family plops down on the master bed in front of the TV to watch a movie. They call the event "McHouse" because of the grill-out.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
DEPILACION
I just got my hair highlighted for $25, and the stylist spent 3 hours shampooing and massaging and foofing it. It was a little painful at first - I've never had my hair highlighted by pulling individuals strands through a rubber haircap!
This week, I have 12 hours of teaching. It doesn't seem like much, but I have really enjoyed myself. I have been walking the two hour commute to and from the company. Along the route, I have discovered some great mom n' pop restaurants and shops (which is how I found my hair salon).
I've been looking on Craig's List for cheap houses to live in after Marisol and I get kicked out of our apartment in March. Coincidentally, one of my students might have found an Argentine family for me to live with, in a hip barrio of Buenos Aires called Palermo. I will cross my fingers for this.
This week, I have 12 hours of teaching. It doesn't seem like much, but I have really enjoyed myself. I have been walking the two hour commute to and from the company. Along the route, I have discovered some great mom n' pop restaurants and shops (which is how I found my hair salon).
I've been looking on Craig's List for cheap houses to live in after Marisol and I get kicked out of our apartment in March. Coincidentally, one of my students might have found an Argentine family for me to live with, in a hip barrio of Buenos Aires called Palermo. I will cross my fingers for this.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
San Valentin
They still have Valentine's Day here - it's just called San Valentine instead!
I taught my first two classes yesterday, and they both went well. They are 1-on1 sessions. I teach young employees (ranging from 18-24 years old). I like the company I work for because they give me the materials - I just teach what they give me! The pay isn't great, but once my other job starts, hopefully I'll be making enough money to slide by here for a couple more months. Next week I will have 8 hours of work (I know... not much), but they will give me more each week once they get comfortable with my teaching, and soon I will have a full schedule.
Nick is coming into town from February 22 - March 3. We are going to Iguazu Falls for 4 days, we'll stay in a hostel, and I'm SO excited! Yes, it's a 20-hour bus ride, but it will be worth it. I can't wait to show him my little world in Buenos Aires. I have a lot planned for us, and I want to impress him so he goes back and tells everyone how AMAZING it is here.
A bar I went to last night played all American music. That was fine with me! I danced my socks off and stayed until 5 am. Needless to say, I slept in today.
I taught my first two classes yesterday, and they both went well. They are 1-on1 sessions. I teach young employees (ranging from 18-24 years old). I like the company I work for because they give me the materials - I just teach what they give me! The pay isn't great, but once my other job starts, hopefully I'll be making enough money to slide by here for a couple more months. Next week I will have 8 hours of work (I know... not much), but they will give me more each week once they get comfortable with my teaching, and soon I will have a full schedule.
Nick is coming into town from February 22 - March 3. We are going to Iguazu Falls for 4 days, we'll stay in a hostel, and I'm SO excited! Yes, it's a 20-hour bus ride, but it will be worth it. I can't wait to show him my little world in Buenos Aires. I have a lot planned for us, and I want to impress him so he goes back and tells everyone how AMAZING it is here.
A bar I went to last night played all American music. That was fine with me! I danced my socks off and stayed until 5 am. Needless to say, I slept in today.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
DUTY and the TWIN TOWERS
I tried to send out a check to the US today at the post office. I waited in line for an hour, and there were only 20 numbers ahead of me. That's just the Argentine pace, I guess. I waited that long to find that I had to go to a different location, where they would charge duty to send $$ to a different country. There HAS to be a way around this. I did not send the check out.
It's 89 degrees here today. Hot and sticky.
INTERESTING STORY: Last night we watched the movie "World Trade Center". There's a girl from New York in our class who commented that she was on the cover of the New York Times that morning at 7 a.m. for Improper Dress Code. She pulled up the article online for us to see. It was a slow day for news in New York, until two hours later. Her dad commutes through the World Trade Center daily. He was in the 2nd tower when the first collapsed. He was told to get down on the floor with his hands over his head, but he ran instead, and saved his life.
It's 89 degrees here today. Hot and sticky.
INTERESTING STORY: Last night we watched the movie "World Trade Center". There's a girl from New York in our class who commented that she was on the cover of the New York Times that morning at 7 a.m. for Improper Dress Code. She pulled up the article online for us to see. It was a slow day for news in New York, until two hours later. Her dad commutes through the World Trade Center daily. He was in the 2nd tower when the first collapsed. He was told to get down on the floor with his hands over his head, but he ran instead, and saved his life.
Monday, February 9, 2009
JUST ANOTHER MONDAY IN B.A.
LATEST NEWS: I have been trying to gain access to the Biblioteca Nacional (national library). Apparently, there was an accident with their elevator - it lost control and two people were injured. Now, only the first floor is open, but hopefully this week they will open the other floors up. It's been closed for a few weeks now.
I saw Marley and Me today in a fabulous theatre in Recoleta called "Village of Recoleta" - the movie was as sad as everyone said, but I was prepared for that! No matinees here, though. It's about $6 around the clock.
Walking on the sidewalks in Buenos Aires, you really have to avoid walking directly under air conditioners. They are always dripping water on my head, and I don't particularly like it!
Have I mentioned Argentina has AMAZING ice cream? Well, they do. Dulce de leche (carmel) is my favorite!
I saw Marley and Me today in a fabulous theatre in Recoleta called "Village of Recoleta" - the movie was as sad as everyone said, but I was prepared for that! No matinees here, though. It's about $6 around the clock.
Walking on the sidewalks in Buenos Aires, you really have to avoid walking directly under air conditioners. They are always dripping water on my head, and I don't particularly like it!
Have I mentioned Argentina has AMAZING ice cream? Well, they do. Dulce de leche (carmel) is my favorite!
Sunday, February 8, 2009
BIG ME
FASHION: The women have been wearing Aladdin-style pants. They are tight around the waist, baggy in the middle, and cuffed around the heel. Some of these pants have baggy crotches that sag down to the knees. Not the most flattering new trend, but I'm curious to see if this will end up a trend in North Amer.
BEER/WINE: The two most popular beers: Quilmes and Iguana. My favorite wine: New Age and Frizze (both whites). Do any of these exist in the US??
A classmate and I have decided to play on the street for money (to make a little extra cash). What started out as a running joke has turned into a reality. Joe plays guitar and I sing. We spent 5 hours today practicing and creating a playlist. Our "debut" will be Tuesday. They will all be cover songs. The name of our band is "Big Me", since we decided that was our best song (by the Foo Fighters) and probably practiced it 10 times today. We will have some of our other classmates take pictures of us jammin' out. They will be there for moral support, and will give us our first monedas :) Joe is betting we will make 15 pesos in a day. Not much, but better than nothing, since neither of us has started teaching yet!
L.I.F.E Volunteering: I'm volunteering to help kids in Buenos Aires! It seems like a great program. We travel all over, create projects and games, and bring toys for the kids. There are cooking activities, birthday parties, etc. I haven't volunteered yet, but I'm signed up and excited to see what it will hold for me!
BEER/WINE: The two most popular beers: Quilmes and Iguana. My favorite wine: New Age and Frizze (both whites). Do any of these exist in the US??
A classmate and I have decided to play on the street for money (to make a little extra cash). What started out as a running joke has turned into a reality. Joe plays guitar and I sing. We spent 5 hours today practicing and creating a playlist. Our "debut" will be Tuesday. They will all be cover songs. The name of our band is "Big Me", since we decided that was our best song (by the Foo Fighters) and probably practiced it 10 times today. We will have some of our other classmates take pictures of us jammin' out. They will be there for moral support, and will give us our first monedas :) Joe is betting we will make 15 pesos in a day. Not much, but better than nothing, since neither of us has started teaching yet!
L.I.F.E Volunteering: I'm volunteering to help kids in Buenos Aires! It seems like a great program. We travel all over, create projects and games, and bring toys for the kids. There are cooking activities, birthday parties, etc. I haven't volunteered yet, but I'm signed up and excited to see what it will hold for me!
Thursday, February 5, 2009
COLONIA
3 other girls and I took Buquebus (a fast boat) over to Colonia, Uruguay via Rio de la Plata for a 2-day trip. I really learned about rolling with the punches while traveling. We originally planned to stay at a Sheridan (courtesy of Amy), but they rejected us because it wasn't "completely" booked online. We then were tricked by a taxi driver to take a round-about way to get to a different hotel in the middle of the countryside. 50 dollars/person later, we arrived at a cute bed-and-breakfast, and after being robbed of so much money, we vowed not to spend much more for the rest of the trip.
Being frugal is not easy, and certainly not as fun. I avoided alcohol and ordered the cheapest thing on the menu the whole time, which was still expensive. Since we were in a tourist town, the prices were jacked up for everything. We also had to convert to Uruguayan pesos from Argentinean pesos or from dollars in our heads. Naturally, I've been forced to get better at math.
On the upside of the trip, Colonia was quite the opposite of the big city we've been living in. It's essentially an abandoned colonial town with cobblestone streets, surrounded by water on three sides. It is quaint and beautiful - FABULOUS sunset.... I haven't seen the sun set in Buenos Aires. I felt like a kid again when we all climbed a big shady tree on the beach near a lighthouse and listened to music. We "splurged" on renting 3 Vespas, and this was the highlight of South America thus far. It was my first time riding one, and it was pretty easy. The sun was shining, and we cruised single-file down the empty streets, sight-seeing. I was grinning ear-to-ear for most of the day. In the countryside, life is pretty primitive compared to Buenos Aires. They have these great old-fashioned cars, horse and buggy, stray dogs, and dirt roads.
We made a stop at a winery and got a private tour along with an elaborate wine tasting. We met a fun young couple from New York at our bed-and-breakfast . They had twins, and were experienced travelers. They proved it was important to travel when your kids are young, but they had been kicked out of 2 hotels in B.A. due to their crying babies! The mom had been pickpocketed and got her foot caught in between subway doors in Argentina, but she told the stories with a smile, and said "you just have to roll with it and learn from your mistakes!" Meeting them inspired me to travel more, and they were CRAZY about Asia and Indonesia. I'm so glad I went on this trip.
Being frugal is not easy, and certainly not as fun. I avoided alcohol and ordered the cheapest thing on the menu the whole time, which was still expensive. Since we were in a tourist town, the prices were jacked up for everything. We also had to convert to Uruguayan pesos from Argentinean pesos or from dollars in our heads. Naturally, I've been forced to get better at math.
On the upside of the trip, Colonia was quite the opposite of the big city we've been living in. It's essentially an abandoned colonial town with cobblestone streets, surrounded by water on three sides. It is quaint and beautiful - FABULOUS sunset.... I haven't seen the sun set in Buenos Aires. I felt like a kid again when we all climbed a big shady tree on the beach near a lighthouse and listened to music. We "splurged" on renting 3 Vespas, and this was the highlight of South America thus far. It was my first time riding one, and it was pretty easy. The sun was shining, and we cruised single-file down the empty streets, sight-seeing. I was grinning ear-to-ear for most of the day. In the countryside, life is pretty primitive compared to Buenos Aires. They have these great old-fashioned cars, horse and buggy, stray dogs, and dirt roads.
We made a stop at a winery and got a private tour along with an elaborate wine tasting. We met a fun young couple from New York at our bed-and-breakfast . They had twins, and were experienced travelers. They proved it was important to travel when your kids are young, but they had been kicked out of 2 hotels in B.A. due to their crying babies! The mom had been pickpocketed and got her foot caught in between subway doors in Argentina, but she told the stories with a smile, and said "you just have to roll with it and learn from your mistakes!" Meeting them inspired me to travel more, and they were CRAZY about Asia and Indonesia. I'm so glad I went on this trip.
Monday, February 2, 2009
A TRIP TO LA BOCA
Yesterday, I walked to La Boca with some classmates. La Boca is a colorful barrio of Buenos Aires. It took us about two hours to get there, but in the heart of La Boca, we discovered the futbol stadium (La Bombonera)! Great story behind its painted blue and gold colors: The portenos (Argentines) stood out on by the port of Riachuelo, and proclaimed they would paint the stadium whichever color the next boat that drove into the port was. Behold, it was a blue and gold ship from Sweden! Ironic, but now the town is splashed with those colors along with many others.
Soccer is so important to the portenos that 3 paper mache figures stand at the same level on a balcony in La Boca - Eva and Juan Peron, and the most famous soccer player, Diego Maradona.
It is a slummy but touristy area, with the most famous street being El Caminito. Here, the street is lined with vendors, tango dancers, music and lots of colors!
Last night, we watched the SUPERBOWL minus the great commercials because we watched it on ESPN VIVA (Spanish Channel). GO STEELERS!!! Great game! We were in CasaBar, a bar for Americans, fully equipped with hot wings and burgers, so at least I didn't miss out on that tradition :)
Soccer is so important to the portenos that 3 paper mache figures stand at the same level on a balcony in La Boca - Eva and Juan Peron, and the most famous soccer player, Diego Maradona.
It is a slummy but touristy area, with the most famous street being El Caminito. Here, the street is lined with vendors, tango dancers, music and lots of colors!
Last night, we watched the SUPERBOWL minus the great commercials because we watched it on ESPN VIVA (Spanish Channel). GO STEELERS!!! Great game! We were in CasaBar, a bar for Americans, fully equipped with hot wings and burgers, so at least I didn't miss out on that tradition :)
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