Bomba!
Yikes today was a long day! The highlight was going nearly onto the roof of my school and seeing the grand sight of Buenos Aires from the 18th floor..untill.. we were in class when suddenly a man came in and said that there was a threat of a bomb in the school and we had to get out. My teacher said “en serio” and he was like yes. So we all very calmly got up and started walking out. All the teachers were quite relaxed about it almost like it was a normal thing or something. Someone said that it was because its finals week so a kid wanted to call in a threat..idno something like that. Anyways I for one was actually quite nervous walking out and felt a huge relief walking outside the building. Once outside we all pretty much stood about a hundred feet from the building and sat around for awhile until we were moved futher away as a precaution and then we were all let go for the rest of the day. I know the threat was just a threat and I feel safe now but wow, it was a weird feeling walking out today. On a brighter note, since we got out early I was able to explore in the city a little! We walked to the water which was like a little over a mile. I’m not sure if its still considered river there or what, but we definitely couldn’t see across it. It was kind of dirty though so we didn’t go in but I felt accomplished that we managed to make it all that way.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Bomba!
Bomba!
Yikes today was a long day! The highlight was going nearly onto the roof of my school and seeing the grand sight of Buenos Aires from the 18th floor..untill.. we were in class when suddenly a man came in and said that there was a threat of a bomb in the school and we had to get out. My teacher said “en serio” and he was like yes. So we all very calmly got up and started walking out. All the teachers were quite relaxed about it almost like it was a normal thing or something. Someone said that it was because its finals week so a kid wanted to call in a threat..idno something like that. Anyways I for one was actually quite nervous walking out and felt a huge relief walking outside the building. Once outside we all pretty much stood about a hundred feet from the building and sat around for awhile until we were moved futher away as a precaution and then we were all let go for the rest of the day. I know the threat was just a threat and I feel safe now but wow, it was a weird feeling walking out today. On a brighter note, since we got out early I was able to explore in the city a little! We walked to the water which was like a little over a mile. I’m not sure if its still considered river there or what, but we definitely couldn’t see across it. It was kind of dirty though so we didn’t go in but I felt accomplished that we managed to make it all that way.
Yikes today was a long day! The highlight was going nearly onto the roof of my school and seeing the grand sight of Buenos Aires from the 18th floor..untill.. we were in class when suddenly a man came in and said that there was a threat of a bomb in the school and we had to get out. My teacher said “en serio” and he was like yes. So we all very calmly got up and started walking out. All the teachers were quite relaxed about it almost like it was a normal thing or something. Someone said that it was because its finals week so a kid wanted to call in a threat..idno something like that. Anyways I for one was actually quite nervous walking out and felt a huge relief walking outside the building. Once outside we all pretty much stood about a hundred feet from the building and sat around for awhile until we were moved futher away as a precaution and then we were all let go for the rest of the day. I know the threat was just a threat and I feel safe now but wow, it was a weird feeling walking out today. On a brighter note, since we got out early I was able to explore in the city a little! We walked to the water which was like a little over a mile. I’m not sure if its still considered river there or what, but we definitely couldn’t see across it. It was kind of dirty though so we didn’t go in but I felt accomplished that we managed to make it all that way.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Thursday. Every Thursday is the March of the Madres at Plaza de Mayo in front of the Casa de Rosada. The Madres/mothers are mothers and grandmothers of the disaparacidos (sp) (disappeared) from the dirty war. They still march on the plaza every week as a reminder of what happened and to call attention to the fact that there is still a sense of denial of the disaparecidos. I went to the march today and saw the mothers, carrying their “have you seen..” newspaper articles and pictures. They wear white shawls on their heads and March in total silence. It was an incredible thing to see. Sadly, it has been turned into something of a spectacle and a place where other people wishing to make a political point come and exploits the pain of the mothers. For example, other groups that wish to make a statement come and walk with the mothers with other signs and things. It’s great that they are making a statement but it just seems that the mother’s pain is being exploited slightly. I don’t know that’s just my thought after seeing it one time. The march was powerful for me though just to see and think of what the women had gone through and how terrible it would have been to lose someone I love in that way. I think it’s great that they do march and bring attention to the problem so that people will acknowledge it. I’ve been learning in my Spanish class a little about the war and several other things that have happened in Argentine political history. Its incredible, the things this country has gone through. From dictators and military juntas to corruption and economic problems. In class we also learn just about the culture in general it’s really interesting. There are a lot of stereotypes here that seem to be somewhat true from what ive seen. People are very, very proud to be argentine and very proud of the connection with Europe. I find that interesting. I think the people who are proud of Europe are the people who have lineage connected to Europe and not the people who are indigenous and have been oppressed by the Europeans in the past.
The tomb of San Martin is near plaza de mayo so we went by there too. The tomb is in a huge marvelous cathedral. It’s absolutely gorgeous, like nothing in the U.S. San Martin is extremely famous here because he is credited with freeing Argentina, Chile (I think) and Peru from the Spaniards. He traveled through the continent and fought to free the countries from colonial rule.
Tango! We went to a tango class today. There were too many people to really move around very easily but it was definitely fun and a great experience to have considering how tango is so Argentine. Interesting thing about tango, a lot of people actually don’t know how to dance it. For a while it was not really considered a good thing to do for a lot of people so they never learned. Besides that it’s a little hard! However, now a lot more younger people are learning I guess and it’s a thing that Argentines are proud of. It’s awesome to see street performer’s dace, their e amazing!
Dia de Campo was on Saturday with ISA. We took a bus about an hour out of the city to an estancia which is an area set up in the campo (fields). There was horseback riding, a pool, lounging, etc a very relaxing day overall. And there was food. Mucha Comida! There was a parrilla which is all the different types of meets cooked on the grill. Its called an asado. There was all types of vegetables grilled and meats. My favorite meat was the matambre..muy bueno! And of course, we had the national treat:dulce de leche. Amazing.
Today was an intercambio with students form Buenos Aires. Our group went to a café where it was set up by ISA that we could all meet and talk for a couple hours and practice speaking. It was pretty neat. At first I had a hard time talking and understanding but after a little while it was fine. It was great to meet other students and have conversations in Spanish. I also drank mate for the first time! I’ve had it out of the bag before but that’s really not the same. Mate is like the national drink it seems. Its everywhere, people carry around their own personal mate cups (made out of a gourd, and a bombilla(straw). Mate is a very social drink because it’s normal to share with everyone. So one cup is shared for the whole table. It’s kind of strong but a lot of people put sugar in it, and I like it that way best too.
My host mom is like amazing. She is so sweet and I am so comfortable here, completely content. She’s also a great cook so that’s pretty awesome! My Spanish is slowly improving mainly from talking and listening to her. Sometimes I can understand everything she’s saying and it’s incredible to think of how we learn languages like that. A lot of times there are things that I don’t understand or I only really know for sure 70% of the conversation but its getting better. I’m really getting used to her accent a lot more, it’s easier to understand here than just a random person on the street. The argentine accent is pretty different but I like it. It’s just a different thing to learn and get used to.
Im learning about the city and country and argentine people in general
Heres some generealizations/slightly stereotypical
A lot of people don’t like the president and think that she is almost like a puppet for her husband and other people whoe have been in power in the past.
Dinner is late..everything is later than here but im pretty much used to it so much that it will be odd going back to the schedule in the states
Drivers don’t drive in the lines on the autopistas. Taxis swerve, pass, and turn when they want. They don’t stop until their right up to the car in front of them. They drive fast.
Take care when crossing streets.
Dulce de leche and empanadas are amazing
The longest and widest roads in the world are in Buenos Aires
Carlos Gardel is the father of Tango
Che has a good connotation here with most people
Maradona is like a saint
Futbol is huge but ive met a few people that don’t care for it(I want to go to a game!)
Argentines are proud
Buenos Aires is amazing
Helado.. best ice cream ever…
The tomb of San Martin is near plaza de mayo so we went by there too. The tomb is in a huge marvelous cathedral. It’s absolutely gorgeous, like nothing in the U.S. San Martin is extremely famous here because he is credited with freeing Argentina, Chile (I think) and Peru from the Spaniards. He traveled through the continent and fought to free the countries from colonial rule.
Tango! We went to a tango class today. There were too many people to really move around very easily but it was definitely fun and a great experience to have considering how tango is so Argentine. Interesting thing about tango, a lot of people actually don’t know how to dance it. For a while it was not really considered a good thing to do for a lot of people so they never learned. Besides that it’s a little hard! However, now a lot more younger people are learning I guess and it’s a thing that Argentines are proud of. It’s awesome to see street performer’s dace, their e amazing!
Dia de Campo was on Saturday with ISA. We took a bus about an hour out of the city to an estancia which is an area set up in the campo (fields). There was horseback riding, a pool, lounging, etc a very relaxing day overall. And there was food. Mucha Comida! There was a parrilla which is all the different types of meets cooked on the grill. Its called an asado. There was all types of vegetables grilled and meats. My favorite meat was the matambre..muy bueno! And of course, we had the national treat:dulce de leche. Amazing.
Today was an intercambio with students form Buenos Aires. Our group went to a café where it was set up by ISA that we could all meet and talk for a couple hours and practice speaking. It was pretty neat. At first I had a hard time talking and understanding but after a little while it was fine. It was great to meet other students and have conversations in Spanish. I also drank mate for the first time! I’ve had it out of the bag before but that’s really not the same. Mate is like the national drink it seems. Its everywhere, people carry around their own personal mate cups (made out of a gourd, and a bombilla(straw). Mate is a very social drink because it’s normal to share with everyone. So one cup is shared for the whole table. It’s kind of strong but a lot of people put sugar in it, and I like it that way best too.
My host mom is like amazing. She is so sweet and I am so comfortable here, completely content. She’s also a great cook so that’s pretty awesome! My Spanish is slowly improving mainly from talking and listening to her. Sometimes I can understand everything she’s saying and it’s incredible to think of how we learn languages like that. A lot of times there are things that I don’t understand or I only really know for sure 70% of the conversation but its getting better. I’m really getting used to her accent a lot more, it’s easier to understand here than just a random person on the street. The argentine accent is pretty different but I like it. It’s just a different thing to learn and get used to.
Im learning about the city and country and argentine people in general
Heres some generealizations/slightly stereotypical
A lot of people don’t like the president and think that she is almost like a puppet for her husband and other people whoe have been in power in the past.
Dinner is late..everything is later than here but im pretty much used to it so much that it will be odd going back to the schedule in the states
Drivers don’t drive in the lines on the autopistas. Taxis swerve, pass, and turn when they want. They don’t stop until their right up to the car in front of them. They drive fast.
Take care when crossing streets.
Dulce de leche and empanadas are amazing
The longest and widest roads in the world are in Buenos Aires
Carlos Gardel is the father of Tango
Che has a good connotation here with most people
Maradona is like a saint
Futbol is huge but ive met a few people that don’t care for it(I want to go to a game!)
Argentines are proud
Buenos Aires is amazing
Helado.. best ice cream ever…
Monday, February 9, 2009
Vamos a la playa
I took a wonderful road trip to Pina Mar this weekend. It was great, it was spontaneous and a lot of fun. We ended up going at 12:30 on Friday night/Saturday morning and took a bus to Pina Mar. We arrived at like 5 something for the beginning of an adventurous day. We got dropped off at the beach with only our book bags and hung out watching the sun rise. As we were waiting for the sun a bunch of other people started joining on the beach only they had just left the bars, restaurants, or night clubs that were still open. We watched the sun rise and then had breakfast and warmed up just a little because it had been chilly in the night. Entonces, we went to la playa! We mostly laid around in the sun for much of day, taking breaks to go play in the waves, be buried in the sand, walk on the beach, and eat. It was an incredibly fun, relaxing day. The weather was really nice too and there were quite a lot of people on the beach. It was really interesting how active everyone was on the beach. Everywhere we walked was families like playing sports and there was even a live dance/yoga lesson on the beach that we participated in for a little bit. Pina mar is an adorable town, it really is. Its considered a pretty high class area and it was obvious. The center area was really crowded at night and there were various forms of entertainment going on such as acrobats. We got to see a live cover band of the beetles and that was really fun, they sounded really good and even kind of looked like the Beatles! Our bus left at 2:30 and our day the beach officially ended. We got back to Bs.As at like 6:45. Definitely a long day , but muy divertido.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Que Barbaro!
I was in intermediate Spanish I for about an hour. Then my teacher decided, after a couple kids asked to be switched, to change our whole class into Intermediate II. ! wonderful. My teachers pretty awesome too. In class we learned about lunfardo its like Buenos aires own language that’s not found in the dictionary and theres a lot of words that are specific to Buenos Aires. Its really interesting actually, and learning the words really helps to be able to understand whats going on around town!
The ice cream is amazing.
Buenos Aires has a Chinatown
I love how there are cute parks all over the city, including one on the corner by my house!
My communication skills are slowly getting better.
I rode the supte for the first time today! (subway/metro) Its pretty busy but so are the streets, it was cool. We went to the Malba museum of art. It has most of the best contemporary Latin American artists in it. And its free on Wednesdays! It was pretty awesome especially since Frida Khalo’s original painting was there! I couldn’t believe it, Incredible!
The ice cream is amazing.
Buenos Aires has a Chinatown
I love how there are cute parks all over the city, including one on the corner by my house!
My communication skills are slowly getting better.
I rode the supte for the first time today! (subway/metro) Its pretty busy but so are the streets, it was cool. We went to the Malba museum of art. It has most of the best contemporary Latin American artists in it. And its free on Wednesdays! It was pretty awesome especially since Frida Khalo’s original painting was there! I couldn’t believe it, Incredible!
La Examen!
02/02
Monday morning we had a Spanish exam with the rest of the international students at the University. It took like 5 hours to take it and get the results back. The exam itself was really short though but muy dificil! Then there was a short oral part. I ended up in the intermediate one class so well see how that goes.
I got to have the amazing ice cream today, its different from ice cream in the U.S. and its super good! There’s all kinds of Heladerias around on the streets so its pretty easy to get and cheap too. Dinner tonight was meat cooked in wine and herbs with carrots and peppers and then an egg is cooked over it but the egg cooks by steam “al vapor”. It was super good. Me and my host mom had a good conversation about food and some neat restaurants around here.
I have tons of pictures of the past few days on my snap fish!
Monday morning we had a Spanish exam with the rest of the international students at the University. It took like 5 hours to take it and get the results back. The exam itself was really short though but muy dificil! Then there was a short oral part. I ended up in the intermediate one class so well see how that goes.
I got to have the amazing ice cream today, its different from ice cream in the U.S. and its super good! There’s all kinds of Heladerias around on the streets so its pretty easy to get and cheap too. Dinner tonight was meat cooked in wine and herbs with carrots and peppers and then an egg is cooked over it but the egg cooks by steam “al vapor”. It was super good. Me and my host mom had a good conversation about food and some neat restaurants around here.
I have tons of pictures of the past few days on my snap fish!
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