Argentina is not designed for vegetarians. It's doable, but meat is so inexpensive in this country that it's extremely rare. Without a doubt, the two food items I miss the most are soy products and hummus, so the past few weeks have been a quest to find these things. Whether it is tofurkey slices, veggie burgers, or soy chicken cutlets (usually eaten on a sandwich with some form or flavor of hummus), the combination of these two products accounts for, on average, about 1.47 meals a day. Argentina is actually one of the largest producers of soy beans in the world, but the only soy products carried in grocery stores here are vegetarian hamburgers (1 brand, 1 type), milanesa de soja (soy milanesa, a type of breaded meat cutlet...usually beef but sometimes chicken), and occasional packages of plain tofu (I actually haven't seen this in a grocery store, but there are smaller specialty stores around called dietéticas that will sometimes carry it). Soy problem solved...or at least temporarily.
Next up hummus. After unsuccesful grocery store searches, I decided to ask my host mom. She had never heard of hummus, but was quite intrigued. This kind of surprised me since there is actually is a bit of middle eastern influence in the cuisine here. Most cafes will serve sanwiches on "pan árabe" (pita), so it seems that hummus wouldn't be too far removed from that. I asked around within the other exchange students here, and eventually learned that there was a small middle eastern restaurant called Dody about 20 blocks from my apartment that also carried hummus "para llevar" (to bring out of the restaurant).
Despite all of the cultural differences that exist, the hole-in-the-wall Middle Eastern place is shockingly consistent.
I walked up to find the owner/chef/manager/waiter/sole employee smoking outside, and our conversation went something like this:
-"Are you open?"
-"What do you want?"
-"A falafel sandwich."
-"Come back in 10 minutes and I will cook you some falafel. I guarantee you it will be the best you have ever had." (Like I have never heard that at a Middle Eastern restaurant before...)
While it may not have been the best falafel I have EVER had, I was not disappointed. Falafel sandwich, gigantic plate of french fries, and a drink for 22 pesos ($5.50). Not bad. I also returned home with a container of freshly made humus to add to my lunch sandwiches. Mission accomplished.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Las Cataratas del Iguazú
This past weekend, I went with 9 other kids from my study abroad program to see Iguazú falls. This is one of the country's major tourist attractions and definitely one of if not the most incredible natural sites I have ever seen.
Iguazú National Park is located at the northern tip of Misiones, a relatively small province at the northeastern corner of Argentina that sticks out between Paraguay and Brazil. It's about 2 hours by plane from Buenos Aires or about 18 hours by bus (keep in mind that there is nothing like our interstate highway system through most of this country). We chose to travel by bus overnight on Thursday and Sunday nights, giving us most of Friday, all of Saturday, and all of Sunday before heading back to Buenos Aires.
This country really knows how to do bus travel. I was a little bit worried about spending that much time on a bus, but it ended up being extremely relaxing. We bought tickets on a bus that had "camas" (the spanish word for beds), which were essentially like large recliner chairs with footrests. Immediately after pulling away from the station, a flight attendant-type employee came around and offered everyone mints. This was followed about 30 minutes later by whiskey on the rocks, and about 30 minutes after that dinner was served. Surprisingly enough, bus food beats airline food by a long shot. This meal included a cheese/meat appetizer combo, 2 types of bread, crackers with cheese spread, a hot entree (I also learned that they do provide vegetarian options upon request), an alfajor for dessert (this is a traditional Argentine dessert...it's basically a large sandwich cookie filled with dulce de leche...awesome), and your choice of wine or soft drinks. After the dinner trays were collected, we were offered champagne before the lights were turned off for the night. They also served breakfast the next morning...hard to complain about that! After sleeping about 10 hours on the trip there, I was pretty well rested for our first day in Puerto Iguazú.
On Friday afternoon, I went on a horseback riding tour through the nearby forrest. This was pretty touristy, but overall really enjoyable. The group was led by a guide who was probably around my age but extremely knowledgeable about the area and its history. In the middle of the woods, we parked the horses and stopped for a demonstration of some of the trapping/hunting methods used by the Guaraní people, the area's native population. These were the kind of thing that seem really elementary (ex--a hole covered with sticks and leaves, a tree that is triggered to fall on an animal that takes bait set out on the ground), but it was pretty cool to see these things in action. There also was a lot of information about plants with medicinal value and the differnt uses that the Guaraní found for each of them.
Saturday and Sunday we spend walking through the national park, which was really awesome. The falls sit right on the Brazil/Argentina border, but a Brazilian visa is a few hundred dollars so we were only able to see it from one side (although the Argentine side seems to have the most viewing options). Apparently it's pretty common for American tourists to hire cab drivers to illegally enter Brazil by driving through Paraguay, but I decided that one more view of the falls was not worth risking a visit to a Brazilian prison or a hefty fine. It's pretty difficult to describe the falls, so I will leave most of that to the pictures I took, but they are probably a little over a mile long and divided into 2 sections with a little island-like formation in the middle. There are catwalks built out over the top and around the base of one section, so it really takes very little physical effort to see everything (except for walking up and down some stairs). We were also able to do a boat ride that essentially takes you under some of the smaller sections (and gets you absolutely drenched), but I don't have pictures from that (there was one camera fatality in our group after that was attempted).
The pictures from the trip are on my facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2048005&id=1495500074
Let me know if you have trouble seeing them...they should be accessible even without an account.
Iguazú National Park is located at the northern tip of Misiones, a relatively small province at the northeastern corner of Argentina that sticks out between Paraguay and Brazil. It's about 2 hours by plane from Buenos Aires or about 18 hours by bus (keep in mind that there is nothing like our interstate highway system through most of this country). We chose to travel by bus overnight on Thursday and Sunday nights, giving us most of Friday, all of Saturday, and all of Sunday before heading back to Buenos Aires.
This country really knows how to do bus travel. I was a little bit worried about spending that much time on a bus, but it ended up being extremely relaxing. We bought tickets on a bus that had "camas" (the spanish word for beds), which were essentially like large recliner chairs with footrests. Immediately after pulling away from the station, a flight attendant-type employee came around and offered everyone mints. This was followed about 30 minutes later by whiskey on the rocks, and about 30 minutes after that dinner was served. Surprisingly enough, bus food beats airline food by a long shot. This meal included a cheese/meat appetizer combo, 2 types of bread, crackers with cheese spread, a hot entree (I also learned that they do provide vegetarian options upon request), an alfajor for dessert (this is a traditional Argentine dessert...it's basically a large sandwich cookie filled with dulce de leche...awesome), and your choice of wine or soft drinks. After the dinner trays were collected, we were offered champagne before the lights were turned off for the night. They also served breakfast the next morning...hard to complain about that! After sleeping about 10 hours on the trip there, I was pretty well rested for our first day in Puerto Iguazú.
On Friday afternoon, I went on a horseback riding tour through the nearby forrest. This was pretty touristy, but overall really enjoyable. The group was led by a guide who was probably around my age but extremely knowledgeable about the area and its history. In the middle of the woods, we parked the horses and stopped for a demonstration of some of the trapping/hunting methods used by the Guaraní people, the area's native population. These were the kind of thing that seem really elementary (ex--a hole covered with sticks and leaves, a tree that is triggered to fall on an animal that takes bait set out on the ground), but it was pretty cool to see these things in action. There also was a lot of information about plants with medicinal value and the differnt uses that the Guaraní found for each of them.
Saturday and Sunday we spend walking through the national park, which was really awesome. The falls sit right on the Brazil/Argentina border, but a Brazilian visa is a few hundred dollars so we were only able to see it from one side (although the Argentine side seems to have the most viewing options). Apparently it's pretty common for American tourists to hire cab drivers to illegally enter Brazil by driving through Paraguay, but I decided that one more view of the falls was not worth risking a visit to a Brazilian prison or a hefty fine. It's pretty difficult to describe the falls, so I will leave most of that to the pictures I took, but they are probably a little over a mile long and divided into 2 sections with a little island-like formation in the middle. There are catwalks built out over the top and around the base of one section, so it really takes very little physical effort to see everything (except for walking up and down some stairs). We were also able to do a boat ride that essentially takes you under some of the smaller sections (and gets you absolutely drenched), but I don't have pictures from that (there was one camera fatality in our group after that was attempted).
The pictures from the trip are on my facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2048005&id=1495500074
Let me know if you have trouble seeing them...they should be accessible even without an account.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
1 month down!
It's really hard to believe that I have already been here for a month! And even harder to believe, I am 1/5 of the way through my time here. I will share with you a few of the highlights of the past few days:
1) BIKING THROUGH LA RESERVA ECOLÓGICA
On Saturday, I went with a few of my friends to explore la Reserva Ecológica, which is basically a giant landfill that lies between Buenos Aires and its eastern frontage on el Río de la Plata. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buenos_Aires_Ecological_Reserve) As I learned in my Art and Architecture in Latin America class, all colonial cities in South America were built with central plazas, and in the case of Buenos Aires, or any other riverfront city, the plaza was located very close to the riverfront. In fact, the residence of the colonial governor, the representative of the Spanish crown, was usually the only building between the plaza and the riverfront. In the case of Buenos Aires, this is the Plaza de Mayo and the Casa Rosada (basically the Argentine White House). Since colonial times, however, much land has been "added" to the riverfront here, and now the Plaza de Mayo and Casa Rosada are pretty far inland. This added land includes Puerto Madero (our very own version of Canary Wharf/Barcelona immitation) and La Reserva Ecológica. Despite how little concern for the environment there seems to be here, it is pretty incredible that an area this big is lying undeveloped (and protected) so close to the city. It's pretty bizarre to hear lots of birds chirping, see wild animals running around, and look up to see a 50 story condo tower.
2.) JOINING A GYM
Whether this means that I am truly a resident here now or just that the air quality is so poor outside that I prefer to run inside I am not sure, but I broke down and joined a gym a block from my house today. By now, I am used to the fact that the name "Jacob" is pretty rare here. I often try to explain, saying "es Jacobo en castellano...como en la biblia", but that doesn't always work. Today, however, my experience was quite different. When I introduced myself, the immediate response was "¿Jay-cob cómo en LOST??". Apparently there are die-hard fans here as well! On my tour of the gym, I was repeatedly asked "¿es lo mismo en California?" (Is this the same as it is in Californa?), and I am not sure why...I'm pretty sure I just said the United States. I like to think it was just my celebrity-like good looks. The weight room, however, was a more humbling experience. I spent much less time actually working out and much more time trying to figure out which weights I needed to be using (since they were mismatched and in kilograms rather than pounds). Everyone there probably thinks I am crazy.
3) THE GREEN FILM FEST
One really nice thing about IFSA (my study abroad program) is that they do a really good job of keeping us posted on cultural events in the city. It just so happens that the Green Film Fest (which translates to El Green Film Fest, not a joke...this says something about environmentalism here) was taking place at a movie theater near my house. This, however, was kind of a poor excuse for an Argentine environmental film festival...it was basically a bunch of American documentaries being shown with Spanish subtitles.
Anyway, at the beginning of the movie, the minister of parks/outdoor space/something along those lines for the city appeared with a short video clip asking for people to keep the city clean. The monologue was overdramatized, but I don't think that the poor acting alone prompted the boo-ing that immediately resonated in the theater with the appearance of this man's head. Just another reinforcement that every issue is a political issue and every politician is corrupt (or just not well liked???). This request for help was followed by a 5-minute cartoon that depicted humans generating piles of trash and the earth swallowing it up (complete with a "pop" sound effect). As the cartoon buildings grew taller and taller, however, the ground was unable to "pop" away the numerous mountains of trash. The problem was solved, however, when a blue smiley face decided to recycle his one-time-use empty bottle of water. After the sun came out and everything turned green, the words REDUCIR REUTILIZAR RECICLAR RIVITALIZAR (Reduce Reuse Recycle Revitalizse) appeared on the screen. This is about where the US was in 1980, I think. It probably doesn't help that there are virtually no recycling bins here--I have seen 2 since I arrived. And...it's not like recycling is what is going to solve any environmental issues. Environmentalism here clearly has a long way to go before it catches up with the rest of the developed world!!!
I should be posting some pictures of the bike adventure in the next few days....I need to clean off my camera before the big trip to Iguazú Falls this weekend!
1) BIKING THROUGH LA RESERVA ECOLÓGICA
On Saturday, I went with a few of my friends to explore la Reserva Ecológica, which is basically a giant landfill that lies between Buenos Aires and its eastern frontage on el Río de la Plata. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buenos_Aires_Ecological_Reserve) As I learned in my Art and Architecture in Latin America class, all colonial cities in South America were built with central plazas, and in the case of Buenos Aires, or any other riverfront city, the plaza was located very close to the riverfront. In fact, the residence of the colonial governor, the representative of the Spanish crown, was usually the only building between the plaza and the riverfront. In the case of Buenos Aires, this is the Plaza de Mayo and the Casa Rosada (basically the Argentine White House). Since colonial times, however, much land has been "added" to the riverfront here, and now the Plaza de Mayo and Casa Rosada are pretty far inland. This added land includes Puerto Madero (our very own version of Canary Wharf/Barcelona immitation) and La Reserva Ecológica. Despite how little concern for the environment there seems to be here, it is pretty incredible that an area this big is lying undeveloped (and protected) so close to the city. It's pretty bizarre to hear lots of birds chirping, see wild animals running around, and look up to see a 50 story condo tower.
2.) JOINING A GYM
Whether this means that I am truly a resident here now or just that the air quality is so poor outside that I prefer to run inside I am not sure, but I broke down and joined a gym a block from my house today. By now, I am used to the fact that the name "Jacob" is pretty rare here. I often try to explain, saying "es Jacobo en castellano...como en la biblia", but that doesn't always work. Today, however, my experience was quite different. When I introduced myself, the immediate response was "¿Jay-cob cómo en LOST??". Apparently there are die-hard fans here as well! On my tour of the gym, I was repeatedly asked "¿es lo mismo en California?" (Is this the same as it is in Californa?), and I am not sure why...I'm pretty sure I just said the United States. I like to think it was just my celebrity-like good looks. The weight room, however, was a more humbling experience. I spent much less time actually working out and much more time trying to figure out which weights I needed to be using (since they were mismatched and in kilograms rather than pounds). Everyone there probably thinks I am crazy.
3) THE GREEN FILM FEST
One really nice thing about IFSA (my study abroad program) is that they do a really good job of keeping us posted on cultural events in the city. It just so happens that the Green Film Fest (which translates to El Green Film Fest, not a joke...this says something about environmentalism here) was taking place at a movie theater near my house. This, however, was kind of a poor excuse for an Argentine environmental film festival...it was basically a bunch of American documentaries being shown with Spanish subtitles.
Anyway, at the beginning of the movie, the minister of parks/outdoor space/something along those lines for the city appeared with a short video clip asking for people to keep the city clean. The monologue was overdramatized, but I don't think that the poor acting alone prompted the boo-ing that immediately resonated in the theater with the appearance of this man's head. Just another reinforcement that every issue is a political issue and every politician is corrupt (or just not well liked???). This request for help was followed by a 5-minute cartoon that depicted humans generating piles of trash and the earth swallowing it up (complete with a "pop" sound effect). As the cartoon buildings grew taller and taller, however, the ground was unable to "pop" away the numerous mountains of trash. The problem was solved, however, when a blue smiley face decided to recycle his one-time-use empty bottle of water. After the sun came out and everything turned green, the words REDUCIR REUTILIZAR RECICLAR RIVITALIZAR (Reduce Reuse Recycle Revitalizse) appeared on the screen. This is about where the US was in 1980, I think. It probably doesn't help that there are virtually no recycling bins here--I have seen 2 since I arrived. And...it's not like recycling is what is going to solve any environmental issues. Environmentalism here clearly has a long way to go before it catches up with the rest of the developed world!!!
I should be posting some pictures of the bike adventure in the next few days....I need to clean off my camera before the big trip to Iguazú Falls this weekend!
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Two for the price of one
It's been a while since I have actually written anything, so I am giving you not one but TWO entries here:
1) Mi nueva amiga Lucia
2) Universidad de Buenos Aires
------
1) Based on my experiences so far, people here are a lot friendlier toward strangers than in the United States. This is pretty surprising given the relatively high crime rates, but just about anyone on the sidewalk will happily give you directions when stopped. As I discovered a few days ago, this dispensation of advice is not limited directions and not limited to direct requests.
On Monday afternoon, one of my friends from my study abroad program and I decided to take our work to a neighborhood café with the hope of getting more reading done than we would with the distractions in our apartments. A few minutes into our work, an older woman at the table next to us spoke up, offering a great pearl of wisdom: "If you slide your coffee over, there will be more room on the table for your book." This was followed by the requisite "you have an accent, so where are you from and what are you studying?" conversation. With the hope of getting back to work, we ended the conversation and complied with the request to re-arrange our table.
It didn't end there, though. A few minutes later..."You are studying social psychology? Well there is a book you have to get!" I listened to what had to have been a cover-to-cover synopsis of Diccionario Filosófico, and the conversation ended when Lucia (my new friend had introduced herself at this point) wrote the name on a napkin so I wouldn't forget the book. That was it.
...but it wasn't. Five minutes later: "You know, there is a really great used bookstore that would definitely have some books that are relevant to your classes." A few more minutes of her talking at me, and the conversation ended, this time, with a page ripped out of her notebook: detailed instructions on how to get to the bookstore as well as Lucia's name and phone number if I get lost.
...five minutes later. "So why did you decide to study in Buenos Aires?" "To learn spanish." This was the wrong answer. "Why do you need to learn Spanish? You already speak it! (not true) You can understand everything I am saying! (because you are very old and talk very slow) I only speak Spanish and it has never been a problem in my life. I once had a friend who spoke 5 languages, but she was the most boring person in the world. What's the point of learning 5 languages if you have nothing to say in any of them?" Feeling like I now had to justify my 5 months in this country another way, I said that I was also hoping to do some travelling in South America. Also the wrong answer. "Oh, but there is NOTHING worth seeing in South America! What you need to do is make a stop in Germany before going back to the United States." Practical, no? The only place worth travelling to in South America, I learned, is Rio de Janeiro, una ciudad muuuuuuyyyy precisosa..el más lindo en suramérica. The conversation ended, again, with a page ripped out of her notebook: VIAJE A RIO DE JANEIRO, 1 SEMANA (travel to Rio de Janeiro, 1 week). Just in case I couldn't remember the name of that city...yeah...the little one that is going to host some sports thing or something.
...five minutes later. "You know, you should definitely call me if something happens to you while you are here. I know the name of a very good lawyer." "Thank you I will, but hopefully nothing will happen to me while I am here." Not a good response. This lawyer is the best in the country, but he wasn't always a lawyer. Actually, he is from Syria, and if you think that the woman is the head of the household in Argentina, then you should see Syria! His mother wanted him to become a chemist, so that's what he did. For 10 years he was a chemist, but that wasn't how he wanted to spend his life, so he went to law school. He finished in 3 years and has been a lawyer since then, AND he doesn't charge for a phone consultation! I should call him if something happens and mention Lucia's name so that he will know SHE referred me. And I was given another sheet of paper with every bit of information she could remember about this lawyer.
After about 2 hours in this café, minimal reading completed, 4 new sheets of paper to my name, and more information than I had ever wanted about Lucia's life (she has lived across the street from this cafe for 32 years, is 78 years old now, her son lived with her until he was 40, she once travelled to France with her mother, she once took an English class but all she remembers is "STAND-UP-SIT-DOWN-STAND-UP-SIT-DOWN"), I decided to call it quits. Hopefully my next café trip will be a more productive one.
-------
2)Universidad de Buenos Aires
UBA is definitely regarded as the most prestigious university in Buenos Aires. It's open to the public, everyone attends at absolutely no cost, has the best known professors, has true diversity in the student body, and its graduates are really well respected (partially just because they were able to get through school there and navigate the bureaucratic nightmare that this place is)...definitely an interesting place (even though it isn't a place at all--it has buildings all around the city) and something that I am glad I am experiencing here.
I tried two seminars there this week (one of which I am going to stick with), and experiencing UBA first-hand was still pretty shocking even after being told all about it. First, it is nearly impossible to walk into the building without being handed some sort of political flyer or getting caught in some type of demonstration. The lobby of the building I visited was completely plastered over with posters in support of (and mostly criticizing) political figures. This is the kind of place where Che Guevara's head means actual communism and not hipsters making a fashion statement. The entire place was wall-to-wall with people and smelled strongly of cigarette smoke. This includes the classrooms...some kids go through entire packs of cigarettes in class! The classrooms themselves are also completely covered in graffiti, and the only climate control appears to be opening and closing the windows.
I was finally able to find a list of the Sociology classes and their rooms on the third floor. It took about 10 minutes to find my class, as the list was not in numerical or alphabetical order and had literally hundreds of classes. Instead of a classroom number, I found the word "INSTITUTO" (which means instutute, exactly like it sounds). In the next 20 minues, I discovered that people think you are really confused if you walk around a university building stopping people in the hall and asking "Where is the institute?" (especially in heavily accented Spanish). This usually leads the the question "What institute are you talking about, idiot?", and unfortunately I had no answer. One girl suggested I go upstairs to the "oficio de alumnos" (student office), so I tried that...but when I saw the 150+ person line outside the door, I decided that it probably wasn't the best idea since the class started in 10 minutes.
Luckily, I was able to find someone who did know what institute I was talking about. Getting there involved going outside, around the corner, entering the same building on a different side (?), and walking up 8 flights of stairs (the elevator was broken, and it looked like it had been for quite some time). I think I got lucky though, as this classroom was relatively graffiti-free, and there are very few smokers in the class. It's basically an urban sociology class that will deal with global issues as well as Argentina-specific and Buenos Aires-specific questions. There are 3 professors for about 35 students, and it seems like there will be a lot of discussion in the class. The coordinating professor began the class by saying that her department respects the individual political views of professors, so if there is a strike (which happens pretty frequently), we may or may not have class depending on how many of the three choose to support this cause, etc. I defintiely have never had a class begin like that!
I am pretty pleased with this class, though. One of the professors spent a lot of time explaining that the lack of an Urban Studies department (that is my major at Penn) at UBA is a hole in the curriculum that exits because the trajectory of their social sciences program was thrown off during the Argentine dictatorship. Our first assignment involves doing ethnographic observations in a public space somewhere in the city. I have had similar assignments in Urban Studies classes at Penn, so it will be really interesting to see how the responses here differ from what I am used to hearing!
1) Mi nueva amiga Lucia
2) Universidad de Buenos Aires
------
1) Based on my experiences so far, people here are a lot friendlier toward strangers than in the United States. This is pretty surprising given the relatively high crime rates, but just about anyone on the sidewalk will happily give you directions when stopped. As I discovered a few days ago, this dispensation of advice is not limited directions and not limited to direct requests.
On Monday afternoon, one of my friends from my study abroad program and I decided to take our work to a neighborhood café with the hope of getting more reading done than we would with the distractions in our apartments. A few minutes into our work, an older woman at the table next to us spoke up, offering a great pearl of wisdom: "If you slide your coffee over, there will be more room on the table for your book." This was followed by the requisite "you have an accent, so where are you from and what are you studying?" conversation. With the hope of getting back to work, we ended the conversation and complied with the request to re-arrange our table.
It didn't end there, though. A few minutes later..."You are studying social psychology? Well there is a book you have to get!" I listened to what had to have been a cover-to-cover synopsis of Diccionario Filosófico, and the conversation ended when Lucia (my new friend had introduced herself at this point) wrote the name on a napkin so I wouldn't forget the book. That was it.
...but it wasn't. Five minutes later: "You know, there is a really great used bookstore that would definitely have some books that are relevant to your classes." A few more minutes of her talking at me, and the conversation ended, this time, with a page ripped out of her notebook: detailed instructions on how to get to the bookstore as well as Lucia's name and phone number if I get lost.
...five minutes later. "So why did you decide to study in Buenos Aires?" "To learn spanish." This was the wrong answer. "Why do you need to learn Spanish? You already speak it! (not true) You can understand everything I am saying! (because you are very old and talk very slow) I only speak Spanish and it has never been a problem in my life. I once had a friend who spoke 5 languages, but she was the most boring person in the world. What's the point of learning 5 languages if you have nothing to say in any of them?" Feeling like I now had to justify my 5 months in this country another way, I said that I was also hoping to do some travelling in South America. Also the wrong answer. "Oh, but there is NOTHING worth seeing in South America! What you need to do is make a stop in Germany before going back to the United States." Practical, no? The only place worth travelling to in South America, I learned, is Rio de Janeiro, una ciudad muuuuuuyyyy precisosa..el más lindo en suramérica. The conversation ended, again, with a page ripped out of her notebook: VIAJE A RIO DE JANEIRO, 1 SEMANA (travel to Rio de Janeiro, 1 week). Just in case I couldn't remember the name of that city...yeah...the little one that is going to host some sports thing or something.
...five minutes later. "You know, you should definitely call me if something happens to you while you are here. I know the name of a very good lawyer." "Thank you I will, but hopefully nothing will happen to me while I am here." Not a good response. This lawyer is the best in the country, but he wasn't always a lawyer. Actually, he is from Syria, and if you think that the woman is the head of the household in Argentina, then you should see Syria! His mother wanted him to become a chemist, so that's what he did. For 10 years he was a chemist, but that wasn't how he wanted to spend his life, so he went to law school. He finished in 3 years and has been a lawyer since then, AND he doesn't charge for a phone consultation! I should call him if something happens and mention Lucia's name so that he will know SHE referred me. And I was given another sheet of paper with every bit of information she could remember about this lawyer.
After about 2 hours in this café, minimal reading completed, 4 new sheets of paper to my name, and more information than I had ever wanted about Lucia's life (she has lived across the street from this cafe for 32 years, is 78 years old now, her son lived with her until he was 40, she once travelled to France with her mother, she once took an English class but all she remembers is "STAND-UP-SIT-DOWN-STAND-UP-SIT-DOWN"), I decided to call it quits. Hopefully my next café trip will be a more productive one.
-------
2)Universidad de Buenos Aires
UBA is definitely regarded as the most prestigious university in Buenos Aires. It's open to the public, everyone attends at absolutely no cost, has the best known professors, has true diversity in the student body, and its graduates are really well respected (partially just because they were able to get through school there and navigate the bureaucratic nightmare that this place is)...definitely an interesting place (even though it isn't a place at all--it has buildings all around the city) and something that I am glad I am experiencing here.
I tried two seminars there this week (one of which I am going to stick with), and experiencing UBA first-hand was still pretty shocking even after being told all about it. First, it is nearly impossible to walk into the building without being handed some sort of political flyer or getting caught in some type of demonstration. The lobby of the building I visited was completely plastered over with posters in support of (and mostly criticizing) political figures. This is the kind of place where Che Guevara's head means actual communism and not hipsters making a fashion statement. The entire place was wall-to-wall with people and smelled strongly of cigarette smoke. This includes the classrooms...some kids go through entire packs of cigarettes in class! The classrooms themselves are also completely covered in graffiti, and the only climate control appears to be opening and closing the windows.
I was finally able to find a list of the Sociology classes and their rooms on the third floor. It took about 10 minutes to find my class, as the list was not in numerical or alphabetical order and had literally hundreds of classes. Instead of a classroom number, I found the word "INSTITUTO" (which means instutute, exactly like it sounds). In the next 20 minues, I discovered that people think you are really confused if you walk around a university building stopping people in the hall and asking "Where is the institute?" (especially in heavily accented Spanish). This usually leads the the question "What institute are you talking about, idiot?", and unfortunately I had no answer. One girl suggested I go upstairs to the "oficio de alumnos" (student office), so I tried that...but when I saw the 150+ person line outside the door, I decided that it probably wasn't the best idea since the class started in 10 minutes.
Luckily, I was able to find someone who did know what institute I was talking about. Getting there involved going outside, around the corner, entering the same building on a different side (?), and walking up 8 flights of stairs (the elevator was broken, and it looked like it had been for quite some time). I think I got lucky though, as this classroom was relatively graffiti-free, and there are very few smokers in the class. It's basically an urban sociology class that will deal with global issues as well as Argentina-specific and Buenos Aires-specific questions. There are 3 professors for about 35 students, and it seems like there will be a lot of discussion in the class. The coordinating professor began the class by saying that her department respects the individual political views of professors, so if there is a strike (which happens pretty frequently), we may or may not have class depending on how many of the three choose to support this cause, etc. I defintiely have never had a class begin like that!
I am pretty pleased with this class, though. One of the professors spent a lot of time explaining that the lack of an Urban Studies department (that is my major at Penn) at UBA is a hole in the curriculum that exits because the trajectory of their social sciences program was thrown off during the Argentine dictatorship. Our first assignment involves doing ethnographic observations in a public space somewhere in the city. I have had similar assignments in Urban Studies classes at Penn, so it will be really interesting to see how the responses here differ from what I am used to hearing!
Sunday, August 8, 2010
More pictures!
I have just uploaded most of my pictures so far in a facebook album. The link is pasted below, and you should be able to see them even without a facebook account.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2046712&id=1495500074&ref=mf
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2046712&id=1495500074&ref=mf
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
El Inicio de las Materias
One thing that has definitely been confusing in the past few weeks is that the word commonly used for class (as in I am going to take classes this semester) is "la materia" and not "la clase". Yesterday marked the beginning of las materias at La Universidad Católica Argentina and Universidad del Salvador, both schools where I am planning to take classes.
My first class yesterday was a Cambios Sociales en Argentina durante los Años 60 (Social Changes in Argentina during the 1960s). This class is in UCA's Progama de Estudios Latinoamericanos, which is basically a set of classes taught in Spanish but geared towards exchange students. This way, it is possible to take classes in Argentine history, etc. without being expected to know the same information as someone who has spent their whole life here. Unlike most of the universities here, UCA has a beautiful, new campus and great facilities, but it is still very much like the other schools in a lot of ways. It is a VERY Catholic school with pretty close oversight by the church and is known for having a great art collection but, overall, a more closed-minded attitude. It is difficult to characterize students at any university here, but from what my host mother tells me, UCA students are generally upper middle class/on the slightly wealthier end of the spectrum here. In typical Argentine fashion, the professor showed up about 30 minutes late, but she was just a substitute. The actual professor (who also will not be around for the entire month of September) had a conflict but didn't want to leave us alone on the first day. Despite this, the class was really interesting--we talked a lot about the social influence of Europe on Argentina, especially in the form of new political ideas, comunism, capitalism with government intervention, etc.
After class, I was able to explore the Puerto Madero neighborhood of the city, which is a recently developed waterfront district. My host mother said that it is just Buenos Aires trying to look like Barcelona (the focal point is a bridge designed by Santiago Calatrava), but it reminded me most of Canary Wharf in London (and, like Canary Wharf, it even has its own light rail line!). There are some pictures from that walk at the end of this post.
My second class yesterday was Psicología Social (Social Psychology) in Universidad del Salvador. This is a required class in the school of Sociology, so I was expecting a large class of Sociology students who already knew each other. (Sidenote here: Argentine universities are very career specific, and there is no such thing as a liberal arts education. If you go to school for sociology, then you take only classes required for sociology. No biology, no art classes, no electives....just the sociology track for 5+ years.) Instead, the class was 6-strong, with two Argentine students, 2 American students (myself included), 1 French student, and 1 Equadorian student. The two professors were at least 70 years old, and, while very pleasant, didn't seem to run an efficient classroom. After two hours of "What do you think Social Psychology is?" and writing our answers on the small, graffiti-covered chalkboard, they decided that was enough for the day and sent us home. I was really hoping to meet other Argentine studenst in this class (and hoping to have professors who would actually teach me something about the subject rather than ask for my thoughts on an unfamiliar subject the entire time), so I left somewhat disappointed.
This morning, I tried again. A different USAL Psicología Social in a different school (this time Administración de Recursos Humanos...basically HR management, I guess). This class was much more what I was looking for. The professor only showed up 10 minutes late (aka early), and the class consisted of ~40 Argentine students (who all knew each other from taking the same classes together for 2 years), 1 other student from my program, and myself. This was exactly what I was looking for--it was a bit harder to understand, but this was a much more authentic argentine classroom that was not centered around exchange students. Despite my being an unfamiliar face intruding on a group of long-time classmates, the other students were extremely welcoming, friendly, and curious to talk to two americans. They even came with me to purchase the packett of readings (which, by the way, was less than $10...all of the readings for the whole semester!). As an exercise in Social Psychology, we played a bingo game in which each blank space has a statement and you have to get the signature of someone who fits that description. The blanks included clues like "has travelled to another country" and "can play a musical instrument", and as the only vegetarian in the class (that was one of the clues), I was extremely popular for about 15 minutes. Now pretty much the entire class knows that Jacob, de los Estados Unidos, es vegetariano.
In this facultad (department), one requirement for exchange students is that you interview with an administrator before being allowed to take the class. During the mid-class break, my American friend and I set out for the office, assuming we were about to face a long, bureaucratic process of setting up appointments, etc. Instead, we were welcomed into the office, kissed on the cheek, and had essentially a two minute conversation about where we were from. This was actually just a chance for this guy to talk about his trip to New York last year ("¡Me ENCANTA New York! Es la ciudad más linda en todo el mundo."). I don't think he quite understood when the other exchange student said she was from Rochester, but he was not impressed with Charleston ("Ehh...no conozco esta ciudad."). Oh well...
Anyway, more to come later this week. Enjoy the pictures of Puerto Madero below!
Jacob
So this is the front of UCA. They have 4 (I think) buildings behind this one, most of which are converted warehouses from the port that was in this area before.
Here's the Santiago Calatrava bridge...kind of like the centerpiece sculpture of this whole area.
Lots of high rises, condo buildings, office towers in this area.
My first class yesterday was a Cambios Sociales en Argentina durante los Años 60 (Social Changes in Argentina during the 1960s). This class is in UCA's Progama de Estudios Latinoamericanos, which is basically a set of classes taught in Spanish but geared towards exchange students. This way, it is possible to take classes in Argentine history, etc. without being expected to know the same information as someone who has spent their whole life here. Unlike most of the universities here, UCA has a beautiful, new campus and great facilities, but it is still very much like the other schools in a lot of ways. It is a VERY Catholic school with pretty close oversight by the church and is known for having a great art collection but, overall, a more closed-minded attitude. It is difficult to characterize students at any university here, but from what my host mother tells me, UCA students are generally upper middle class/on the slightly wealthier end of the spectrum here. In typical Argentine fashion, the professor showed up about 30 minutes late, but she was just a substitute. The actual professor (who also will not be around for the entire month of September) had a conflict but didn't want to leave us alone on the first day. Despite this, the class was really interesting--we talked a lot about the social influence of Europe on Argentina, especially in the form of new political ideas, comunism, capitalism with government intervention, etc.
After class, I was able to explore the Puerto Madero neighborhood of the city, which is a recently developed waterfront district. My host mother said that it is just Buenos Aires trying to look like Barcelona (the focal point is a bridge designed by Santiago Calatrava), but it reminded me most of Canary Wharf in London (and, like Canary Wharf, it even has its own light rail line!). There are some pictures from that walk at the end of this post.
My second class yesterday was Psicología Social (Social Psychology) in Universidad del Salvador. This is a required class in the school of Sociology, so I was expecting a large class of Sociology students who already knew each other. (Sidenote here: Argentine universities are very career specific, and there is no such thing as a liberal arts education. If you go to school for sociology, then you take only classes required for sociology. No biology, no art classes, no electives....just the sociology track for 5+ years.) Instead, the class was 6-strong, with two Argentine students, 2 American students (myself included), 1 French student, and 1 Equadorian student. The two professors were at least 70 years old, and, while very pleasant, didn't seem to run an efficient classroom. After two hours of "What do you think Social Psychology is?" and writing our answers on the small, graffiti-covered chalkboard, they decided that was enough for the day and sent us home. I was really hoping to meet other Argentine studenst in this class (and hoping to have professors who would actually teach me something about the subject rather than ask for my thoughts on an unfamiliar subject the entire time), so I left somewhat disappointed.
This morning, I tried again. A different USAL Psicología Social in a different school (this time Administración de Recursos Humanos...basically HR management, I guess). This class was much more what I was looking for. The professor only showed up 10 minutes late (aka early), and the class consisted of ~40 Argentine students (who all knew each other from taking the same classes together for 2 years), 1 other student from my program, and myself. This was exactly what I was looking for--it was a bit harder to understand, but this was a much more authentic argentine classroom that was not centered around exchange students. Despite my being an unfamiliar face intruding on a group of long-time classmates, the other students were extremely welcoming, friendly, and curious to talk to two americans. They even came with me to purchase the packett of readings (which, by the way, was less than $10...all of the readings for the whole semester!). As an exercise in Social Psychology, we played a bingo game in which each blank space has a statement and you have to get the signature of someone who fits that description. The blanks included clues like "has travelled to another country" and "can play a musical instrument", and as the only vegetarian in the class (that was one of the clues), I was extremely popular for about 15 minutes. Now pretty much the entire class knows that Jacob, de los Estados Unidos, es vegetariano.
In this facultad (department), one requirement for exchange students is that you interview with an administrator before being allowed to take the class. During the mid-class break, my American friend and I set out for the office, assuming we were about to face a long, bureaucratic process of setting up appointments, etc. Instead, we were welcomed into the office, kissed on the cheek, and had essentially a two minute conversation about where we were from. This was actually just a chance for this guy to talk about his trip to New York last year ("¡Me ENCANTA New York! Es la ciudad más linda en todo el mundo."). I don't think he quite understood when the other exchange student said she was from Rochester, but he was not impressed with Charleston ("Ehh...no conozco esta ciudad."). Oh well...
Anyway, more to come later this week. Enjoy the pictures of Puerto Madero below!
Jacob
So this is the front of UCA. They have 4 (I think) buildings behind this one, most of which are converted warehouses from the port that was in this area before.
Here's the Santiago Calatrava bridge...kind of like the centerpiece sculpture of this whole area.
Lots of high rises, condo buildings, office towers in this area.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Weekend #2
This weekend was a lot of fun, and I am definitely a lot more comfortable getting around Buenos Aires now. I will just share a few highlights with you...
On Friday night, I joined the Lantos family (whose daughter Irene went to high school with my brother Joseph's girlfriend Victoria) for Kabbalat Shabbat services at their synagogue and dinner at their home. I took the train from Retiro Station, the city's main train station, out to Dr. Lantos' office in Belgrano. This trip is essentially the equivalent of taking Metro North from Grand Central to the Bronx or SEPTA from Center City to Overbrook, and it cost a grand total of 80 centavos...that's roughly equivalent to $0.20. Transportation costs nothing here! The synagouge, in the suburb of Florída, was really similar to the one I went to in Palermo the week before and had a "small" crowd of ~175 people (I was told that there are usually more people, but it was still winter break here). Based on what I have seen here so far, the synagogues in Argentina are much more multigenerational than in the US. There was a pretty even distribution of people of all ages, and the synagogue had lots of educational programs for kids, a hillel house attached to the complex to serve the student population of the northern suburbs (university students here still live at home), and lots of other activity as well. The Lantos family could not have been nicer, and it was great talking to their kids who all attend or did attend UBA (where I will be taking one class this semester).
On Saturday, I ventured out to the suburbs again, but this time by bus. My friends and I decided to go see El Origen (Inception), as it just came out here a few days ago. While we could have gone to see it in a theater about 4 blocks from my apartment, we decided instead to go looking for Argentina's only (I think) Imax theater, located in a gigantic mall called the Norcenter off of the Panamericana expressway. The bus ride took about an hour, mostly winding through the city before getting on the highway. We could have taken the subte to the end of the line and gotten on the bus then for a much quicker trip, but this was a really good chance to see how the neighborhoods in BA transition. There are bus stops located really frequently along the highway that seem really heavily utilized, but I have no idea how they can be safe. These are essentially small concrete strips on the side of a 16+ lane interstate-type highway. Kind of frightening. The mall (which is definitely geared towards people arriving by car) felt very much like an imitation of an upscale mall in the US. I used the word "Argentween" to describe the most common demographic (exactly what it sounds like!), but there were a lot of families, senior citizens around as well. Unfortunately the IMAX was sold out when we got there, but this exploration was definitely not a total loss!
Today, my friends and I went to see the big exposition at La Sociedad Rural (The Rural Society). I wasn't sure what to expect, but it seemed kind of like the Argentine equivalent of a giant county fair. There were warehouses full of cows, sheep, and other animals that had been in contests and had won different awards/been recognized for being the best/biggest (I guess...). There were also vendors selling products from rural parts of argentina as well as vendors marketing their products to Argentina's rural residents (ex--companies that manufacture trucks and farm equipment). There were also a few demonstrations...gaucho-type things, stuff that looked like polo players riding their horses in a more choreographed performance, and something that I didn't understand with horses pulling wagons/carts. It was kind of surprising to walk off a city street and into an area that smelled...well...like a farm, but it was a very cool thing to see.
Classes start tomorrow at Universidad Catolica Argentina and Universidad del Salvador, so I will update later in the week with details about how that is going.
Jacob
On Friday night, I joined the Lantos family (whose daughter Irene went to high school with my brother Joseph's girlfriend Victoria) for Kabbalat Shabbat services at their synagogue and dinner at their home. I took the train from Retiro Station, the city's main train station, out to Dr. Lantos' office in Belgrano. This trip is essentially the equivalent of taking Metro North from Grand Central to the Bronx or SEPTA from Center City to Overbrook, and it cost a grand total of 80 centavos...that's roughly equivalent to $0.20. Transportation costs nothing here! The synagouge, in the suburb of Florída, was really similar to the one I went to in Palermo the week before and had a "small" crowd of ~175 people (I was told that there are usually more people, but it was still winter break here). Based on what I have seen here so far, the synagogues in Argentina are much more multigenerational than in the US. There was a pretty even distribution of people of all ages, and the synagogue had lots of educational programs for kids, a hillel house attached to the complex to serve the student population of the northern suburbs (university students here still live at home), and lots of other activity as well. The Lantos family could not have been nicer, and it was great talking to their kids who all attend or did attend UBA (where I will be taking one class this semester).
On Saturday, I ventured out to the suburbs again, but this time by bus. My friends and I decided to go see El Origen (Inception), as it just came out here a few days ago. While we could have gone to see it in a theater about 4 blocks from my apartment, we decided instead to go looking for Argentina's only (I think) Imax theater, located in a gigantic mall called the Norcenter off of the Panamericana expressway. The bus ride took about an hour, mostly winding through the city before getting on the highway. We could have taken the subte to the end of the line and gotten on the bus then for a much quicker trip, but this was a really good chance to see how the neighborhoods in BA transition. There are bus stops located really frequently along the highway that seem really heavily utilized, but I have no idea how they can be safe. These are essentially small concrete strips on the side of a 16+ lane interstate-type highway. Kind of frightening. The mall (which is definitely geared towards people arriving by car) felt very much like an imitation of an upscale mall in the US. I used the word "Argentween" to describe the most common demographic (exactly what it sounds like!), but there were a lot of families, senior citizens around as well. Unfortunately the IMAX was sold out when we got there, but this exploration was definitely not a total loss!
Today, my friends and I went to see the big exposition at La Sociedad Rural (The Rural Society). I wasn't sure what to expect, but it seemed kind of like the Argentine equivalent of a giant county fair. There were warehouses full of cows, sheep, and other animals that had been in contests and had won different awards/been recognized for being the best/biggest (I guess...). There were also vendors selling products from rural parts of argentina as well as vendors marketing their products to Argentina's rural residents (ex--companies that manufacture trucks and farm equipment). There were also a few demonstrations...gaucho-type things, stuff that looked like polo players riding their horses in a more choreographed performance, and something that I didn't understand with horses pulling wagons/carts. It was kind of surprising to walk off a city street and into an area that smelled...well...like a farm, but it was a very cool thing to see.
Classes start tomorrow at Universidad Catolica Argentina and Universidad del Salvador, so I will update later in the week with details about how that is going.
Jacob
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)