The Beauty of Chaos

WARNING: This entry is pretty whiney, and I'm tired so the writing probably makes little sense…

So Latin Americans have a bit of a reputation for being late for EVERYTHING and not really having any desire to regulate/organize their schedules. That said classes "started" today.

My first class today was at UCA and is an Intro to Poli Sci course (not sure why I signed up for it, but hey, when in Argentina...) I successfully maneuvered my way onto the right Colectivo and took it all the way out to the class and after asking about 10 people where my classroom was, finally found where I was supposed to be. I sat through the class (which started 40 minutes late) and afterwards went to try to find out where my next class was supposed to be 3 hours later. I asked the lady in charge of the schedules and she told me she had no idea but that they would be sending out an e-mail with the schedules for those specific classes (Estudios Latino Americanos...they're pretty much for foreigners, I'm taking an Economic Development class). I had no idea what to do but just went ahead and met up with my friends at the program office which was like a 15 minute walk away. I checked my e-mail for the schedule of the next class only to find out that someone decided to register me in the section of the Intro to Poli Sci class that meets tomorrow, even though I signed up for the one today. It's a different professor so I have to go AGAIN. That was the first little annoyance of the day.

After that, we went to a vegetarian buffet (a rarity in a country full of parrillas, or argentine barbecues) because one of my friends is a vegan (yeah, I know.) and then I headed back over to UCA to see if I could find out about my class.

I got to UCA and found a sheet with the course listings and Aulas (classroom) and headed to my room. Side note: I had to take my stuff to the laundromat (the one that washes, dries and folds my clothes for me for like $8, you know?) and therefore had no clothes and had to wear athletics shorts and a t-shirt today. Anyway, I get to my classroom and no one was there because Argentines like to be late to EVERYTHING. As I was walking around a security guard confronted me and told me that I needed to go home and change because I'm not allowed to wear shorts. Blow number 2. Good story, my apartment is 30 minutes away, and this was 5 minutes before class. I just didn't go to the class and walked back to the COPA office and checked my email again and then went to pick up my clothes from the laundromat so I would have jeans to wear for my class at USAL at 6, another Catholic school; better safe than sorry...

I walked over to USAL and find out the class that COPA had told me I could sign up for doesn't even meet this semester. Blow number 3. My friend was taking an Argentine History class so I decided I would go along and try it out, because I lost the lottery to get into the one at UCA, and sat through that for 3 and a half hours. It actually was really interesting and I think I'm probably going to take it.

So anyway, I probably walked a total of about 6 miles today back and forth between places, but that's mostly my fault because I didn't want the added stress of trying to find the right Colectivos that go everywhere I needed to go. Boo me. Today sucked pretty bad and I'm pretty tired, but it's over now and tomorrow's a new day with a new, wiser Spenser.

Classes I'm seriously looking at taking/am already taking: Economia y Desarollo, Argentine Literature, History of Argentina. There's still a ton more on the menu, but those are looking like the best for me right now.

In other news, last weekend I went to the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes with a few friends. I enjoyed it, it's a huge pink ugly building but they have some pretty cool stuff inside, the bottom floor is all European and the top is all Argentine. They had Jackson Pollock, Pablo Picasso, Van Gogh, Edgar Degas, and some pretty famous Argentine painters too. Pretty cool for a free museum.

Other than that I mostly just rested up over the weekend, walked around the botanical gardens (couldn't go in because it closed) with my friends and ate Dulce de Leche ice cream, and on Saturday night went to a Mexican restaurant, which had spicy food (such a breath of fresh air!) and then went to a bar/dance hall thing and stayed out until 6 in the morning like a true Porteño.

And on a last note, the food here isn't the best but I love the empanadas and the pizza is pretty good too. The highlight, for sure, is the dulce de leche, which is basically like a softer caramel. It's pretty much like Mexican dulce de leche, but they use it all the time here. They have a little pastry that's called an alfajor, which is basically two cookies sandwiched together with dulce de leche. I also spread it on my toast every morning for breakfast which is pretty much the coolest thing ever.

That's all I've got for now, I need to go to bed. I took a few pics of my neighborhood the other day and I'll try to get those up within the next day or so when I have a little more energy.

Bariloche (for real this time)

So Bariloche and the Patagonia region is the most beautiful place I have ever been in my entire life. We spent 3 days there and every day went to a different point with new views. It felt like I was living in a book of postcards, almost to the point that it was hard to believe what was in front of my eyes. Here's a link to the pics I posted on Facebook, and then a little day-by-day break down for anyone who's interested. Somebody tell me if that link works or not and if I need to post them somewhere else. It's too much of a pain to try to post them all on here...

http://southwestern.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2003666&l=4e99a&id=1534110046

The first day we got there it was raining and pretty cloudy so we couldn't see a whole lot. We spent the day in the town and did touristy stuff like bought t-shirts and chocolate. Bariloche is famous for its chocolate here, and rightfully so. The architecture in the town is very Swiss.

The second day of the trip we did a 6 hour hike, 3 hours both ways, the near top of a mountain called Cerro Lopez. I hadn't recovered my camera at that point so I don't have pictures, but if you look at the first pic in that facebook album we climbed almost to the top of the right peak. We spent like 2 hours at the top just to take it all in and eat lunch. It was a really, really good spot just to think and it was really peaceful and definitely the most beautiful panorama I've ever seen. We hiked down later and then ate at a restaurant in town.

The third day we took a bus trip to a boat and rode the boat out to a national forest and walked around and looked at the really pretty trees. (sorry for the obnoxiously long sentence) The forest is said to have inspired the animators of Bambi, though I'm not sure how true that is... After the boat ride we took the bus for a couple of hours to a beach and kind of hung out at the beach for a while. It, too, was absolutely amazing. We hiked up to a waterfall which was cool as well. After the beach we drove around a circular area in the Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi. We passed by a spot where they filmed part of the Motorcycle Diaries (if you've seen it, its by the bridge where they fall off the bike in the mountains, as I recall). That area reminded me a lot of New Mexico in terms of the flora and height of the mountains. I just found out that Ted Turner also owns a ton of land right in that area too, kind of funny...

The fourth day we woke up a little late and hung out at the hotel by the pool which also had an AMAZING view. We checked out and went to a ski lift type thing and went up to another panorama area (you'd think you might get tired of all the scenic views, yet it NEVER gets old, it's amazing). After the chair-lift we went back into town and I had great $7 US steak dinner at a traditional parrillo with a few friends. We then went to the airport and caught our flight at midnight... These people seem to have NO idea what late means...

Other than that it's just been day-to-day. I started my classes at Di Tella today and it sucked. I had a pretty hard time understanding the professor and the class seems a little bit over my head, especially if it's entirely in Spanish. I'm still in the shopping period so it's not a big deal, yet... I also signed up for a few classes at UCA today and those will start next Monday.

Anyway, that's all I've got for now!

Quick update...

I found my camera.

While in Bariloche, Patagonia I was talking to one of the coord. of the program about stuff and I mentioned that I had lost my camera. He looked at me for a second and told me that he had found a camera in a case at the Circulo Italiano which is where we've been having orientation. Mind you, I had already asked two people involved in the program within a day after I lost the camera, one of them being the HEAD of the program and both told me that they had heard/seen nothing. There was no announcement to the group (at least to any group that I was a part of) nor any form of electronic communication. It seems like they had refused to maybe even look at the pictures on the camera to maybe figure out who might be the owner. I realize I shouldn't be bitter about it, but it sounds like the camera my dad has already bought can't be returned without a penalty for restocking from the store.

Anyway, Patagonia is probably one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen in my entire life. I managed to take about 100 pictures when they finally decided to give me my camera back and I'll try to post those as soon as I can but this week is going to be pretty busy trying to get my schedule for classes put together. A few things we saw in Patagonia....

• The forest which inspired the animation for Bambi
• The area where they filmed the Motorcycle Diaries, and where many believe Che Guevara rode through (kind of lame but cool too)
• Lots and lots and lots of panoramic views of Patagonia and crystal clear blue lakes.

I'll give a more detailed update later but I'm using my host mother's computer right now and I really need to be doing other things.

La dulce vida (y muerto)

Sorry for the lack of updates lately, we've been pretty busy soaking up the sites and sounds of Buenos Aires, and trying to register for classes. Not so sweet.

I registered for my first classes the other day at the Universidad Trocuato di Tella, which is a pretty good school for economics majors. I signed up for two classes, one of which had a 2 student limit from our program. I only got into one (a class on economic thought) but next week I'll be able to register for classes at the other universities. The program I'm in is called COPA (Cooperating Programs of the Americas) and is a coop. effort of UT, UNC, Butler University and the University of Indiana. Through the program I'm able to choose any combination of classes at any of four universities in Buenos Aires, those being Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA), Universidad Catolica de Argentina (UCA), Universidad de San Salvador (USAL) and Universidad Torcuato di Tella (di Tella). I'll most likely be taking a class at di Tella and a couple at either UCA or USAL, I think I might try to avoid UBA just because of its sheer size. It boasts a student population of over 250,000 people. INSANE. Anyway, in terms of registering for classes, we have a trial period for classes until mid March at which point I'll have to finalize my courses and schedule, so I still have a little bit of time.

Anyway, I'll move on; I'm not really here for school anyway, just personal enjoyment (just kidding, Mom and Dad).

I'm starting to become a little more accustomed to living with a stranger, and the whole schedule of Argentina. I've been trying to get out as much as I can lately and just walk around soak it all up. I had to do laundry for the first time the other day and by do laundry I mean take my clothes to the lavanderia and pay 28 pesos (approx. US$9) to have my clothes washed, dried and folded. Quite a luxury.

My friend Esteban and I went to the infamous Recoleta cemetery this last Sunday to take pictures for a project we had for the Castellano class through the program. The cemetery is absolutely beautiful, but pretty weird too. All of the mausoleums are very ornate and made of presumably imported marble and other stones, some complete with busts, even statues, of those whose corpses now reside within their depths. Some of the tombs even have windows through which you can see the coffins. One window was broken out and if desired, you could touch the coffin. Creepy. We, of course, saw the famous Duarte family tomb, where Evita Peron is buried. Another creepy aspect of the cemetery is the sheer amount of feral cats that roam throughout. I think they even have women who take care of the cats and leave food for them near (if not in) the tombs. The cats are free to do as they please, entering through the gates without windows into the tombs. Anyway, definitely a very good experience overall. There's also a huge shopping center and movie theater right across the street from the theater. Interesting to see how the city has just built up around the area.























I finally figured out how to get pictures on here, professionalism in placement coming soon.

Today I had a free day and woke up to a torrential downpour. It only lasted for a few hours but definitely managed to flood a few parts of the city (as seen on the tele). I went with my friend to a little restaurant called el Caurtito that Dr. Ross (my Spanish professor from last year) recommended and had some really really good empanadas with meat and olives. We then went to el Museo de Armas in the Military Circle, and saw a ton of guns and weapons and knives and cannons. Pretty impressive, but a little boring after a while. After that we walked around and went to a huge shopping strip and to a shopping mall called the Galeria Pacifico, it was pretty much an American looking mall with huge paintings by famous Argentine painters on the arcing ceilings. After that we walked over to the Puerto Madero area of the city and looked at the hotel my parents will be staying at near the dikes. It's a really nice area with lots of shops and restaurants and a boardwalk, pretty cool but I haven't seen as many English speakers where I live as I did over in that area.

I've seen a lot lately and haven't had a camera, but I think I'll just try to steal my friends pictures at some point or another. The camera I had retails for about 300% more than it does in the US, but my dad just bought me a new camera and will bring it in a couple of weeks. Thanks dad! Tomorrow morning the COPA group is going to Bariloche which is a mountain resort in Argentina. The website for the hotel is www.amancayhotel.com.ar if you're curious.

Thanks for the comments/e-mails/facebook messages, its nice that we can still communicate so easily!

Spenser's first setback!

So I left my camera at a coffee shop today and did not realize I had done it until five hours later, at which point I pretty much went into freak out mode. I ran back to the cafe but they couldn't find it and then I went to another cafe that I had been in earlier in the day and they had not seen it either. I went to the cafe around 1 today, with my friend Margo, and I had my computer and camera so I loaded pictures onto my computer to share with everyone, and I'm dead serious (this isn't one of those things you think you were thinking at the time) I had this really weird feeling that those were the only pictures that I would have of my own from BA. waddya know?? As a result of this mess it all kind of came back and bit me in the ass that I seriously am in Argentina and I won't be back for 5 months. It worries me a little that I'm already freaking out, but I think that's just the way I am. Anyhow, I loaded some of the pictures I've taken onto Facebook and can send the link by e-mail to anyone that does not have Facebook and would like to see them.

• My week has been pretty hectic with just a whole lot of orientation stuff. Yesterday was my friend Kendra's 21st, so we went out last night to celebrate. It was a little bit of an adventure and definitely an experience. I left my house about 12 and we were at the 'boliche' (typical BA bar) around 1230, by Buenos Aires standard very early. We went to a few boliches and just kind of hung out and then took a taxi home. Everyone seems very nice (except the douchebag that didn't turn in my lost camera, but who can blame them honestly) and is willing to help us with our Spanish** but they are really picky about pronunciation, it seems like they intentionally ignore you if say something like seis in a normal, Mexican accent instead of the Argentine saiYs. Whatever though.

• Yesterday we did the whole tourist thing and took a tour of Plaza Mayo (where the main catedral and presidential palace are) and the San Telmo and Montserrat barrios. It was a lot of fun and really interesting to see everything. Random little side note, we saw a TON of girls screaming and looking and someone hanging out a window from a hotel. Come to find out it was the extremely famous and world renowned band My Chemical Romance. They have good taste in music here, lemme tell ya.

• I'm not entirely sure if I can even think of anything else to say just because SO much has happened in the last few days that I'm still in the process of absorbing it all. I feel like I've been here for almost a month now and it's only been 5 days! Anyway hope everyone is doing well!
• Sorry about the bullets, it wouldn't seperate the paragraphs without them and it was really bothering me.

** for Aunt Blair: They call Spanish here 'Castellano' (pronounced caste-jahno) because of the minor differences in pronunciation and usages. Por ejemplo, for the familiar you, they use 'vos' instead of 'tu'. Like 'you buy' is not 'tu compras' but 'vos comprás.' I would try to explain that whole concept a little bit more, but I'm having a really hard time trying to figure it out for myself!

Second Day in Buenos Aires

I realize this is the second post in two days, but hey, whatever.

Today we met up with the group in the Circulo Italiano which is basically a club for the Italian residents of Buenos Aires to meet up and socialize I suppose. It's about a 5 minute walk from my apartment and from my first impressions, this part of the city is VERY nice. It reminds me a lot of Paris, with really nie buildings and shops everywhere. We did a short little orientation which involved a game where he pretty much asked where everyone was from and what not. There's about a hundred of us I'd say and most of them are from REALLY good schools from all over the country (i.e. Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Brandeis, Tufts, Bryn Mawr, Pitt, Penn etc.) I feel a little bit like the dumb one, but they're all really nice. I've been hanging out with a couple girls from Scripp's College, one from Columbia, and a guy from Yale. After the orientation I went with the previously mentioned to get lunch at a little cafe not far from the Circulo Italiano. I had a sandwich and a Quilmes cerveza. Hahaha I loooove being able to just order a beer at lunch! After lunch we went back to the place and they did another little informational section about the safety and what places to avoid in the city as well as how to use the city map of busses and subways, called Guia T. Overall not too exciting of a day.

My Spanish is pretty weak right now and my host mother has not been afraid to correct my Mexican Spanish (calle (street) is cay-je not cay-ye). I've also noticed that the locals I've encountered are pretty blunt about everything, willing to point out that your eyes are blood-shot or as my host mother put it <<>>. She is also very adament that I eat as much as possible. Tonight for instance, we ate dinner which was rice with salsa and a ground beef patty (a little questionable, but it seems okay). I cleaned my plate and she INSISTED that I continue to eat and I had to explain to her thatI was very full, so she put the left-overs in the fridge so that I could eat them later. We eat dinner at like 9 every night I think which is going to be a little hard to get used to. The weather is very hot and humid and the apartment doesn't have airconditioning, but it could be worse. I do have a fan and a window in my room so its not unbearable at night.

I had better end it at that it's getting a bit late and yeah... I enabled anonymous commenting so now anyone can comment if they really want to. I'd at least like to know if anyone is reading this and or suggestions, the whole nine yards.

Chau!

estoy aquí

so im here.

im using my host mothers computer and im not gunna lie this is already a very daunting experience. anyway just a quick update, i arrived this afternoon at 1 and met the study abroad people at the airport who helped us get taxis to our apartments. my host mother lives by herself with a maid that she has had for 30 years. she moved here from germany shortly after the war she said and the apartment is really nice. she has a really nice balcony complete with an 18 year old pet turtle.

thats about all i have for now, today i just have to sit around and wait and sleep, she was given instructions not to let me go out and i cant get a wireless connection on my computer so i guess ill just have to leave it at that. we start orientation in the morning at 11 and that will last pretty much the next week and half so hopefully by next time ill have plenty of pictures.