The Attack of the OVNI

The Train Station

Another pic of the Train Station

Coca Cola is popular here! Susan, this picture is for you!

Went to the local Cinemark!

My tour buddy Kate and I ate helado (gelato) at the local ice cream shop!

The attack of the OVNI

January 25, 2011

I named this chapter of my journey “The Attack of the OVNI” because OVNI is the Spanish word for UFO. I suppose a UFO attacked me in my sleep because somehow my arms and stomach are covered in hives. I have no idea where they came from. I don’t suffer from hives in the states so I suppose this is indeed an OVNI. Of course, like a prepared traveler I did bring along 3 or 4 benadryl pills. So, I will try them and hope for the OVNI to come take this plague away!

I will take this time to express a few strong cultural differences that may be of interest.

1) If you see a person walking 9 dogs down the street don’t be alarmed. It is an actual profession here to be a dog walker. I plan to snap a photo of one of these infamous people one day soon, but last time I tried the dog walker disappeared.

2) I don’t know that I will ever get used to eating dinner at 10pm. It is cultural to eat around that time here. Thankfully we ate at 9:30 tonight. That was progress!

3) The city does not sleep…literally! Bars and night clubs stay open until 6 or 7 am each night (or day I suppose one could say.) So, if you are the partying type, come to Buenos Aires. However, if you are a night sleeper you might encounter some difficulties since people sleep with their windows open here due to less or no A/C in houses. Houses are in the middle of the city, not in neighborhoods. I just so happen to have my 7^th floor window near a group of bars. I hear noises all night long, but the funniest is the sound of large group laughter carried up 7 floors.

4) Mornings begin late here (or early if you are in the bars). I am not sure how people get much done, because early birds are hard to come by in this culture.

5)Thin is IN! Not only in, but at any cost to get there. (With all this Italian food from Argentina’s European influence and eating dinner at 10pm, I have no idea how being thin can be achieved except by the young with superhero metabolisms.) Sadly, anorexia for both men and women is common. According to my Spanish teacher even children won’t eat because they don’t want them to get fat.

6)Plastic surgery is the in thing here. Some jobs will even pay for a plastic surgery every two years. Need I say more?

7) Families eat dinner together often! Kids usually stay in their homes until married, then come home for dinner often after they are married. (currently there is a 26 year old Doctor in this house along with her older unmarried brother) All but two dinners I have had here have had either other family members or extended family members eat here. One of the best reunions was when the very loquacious aunt came to dinner. All the family children were present (including the one who is married and lives far away). The only problem with the evening was that I thought it was their grandmother instead of aunt! Thankfully I didn’t say anything to her directly about it!

8) Two things they know how to do quite well here – they know the value of rest (I love my afternoon siestas) and the value of family! It is amazing. Every time you see a family member you are greeted well, and when they ask you about your day they really want to know about it!

So, enough reading… let’s move on to the pictures!

La Boca

Pictures of La Boca






January 20,2011

My mom's birthday was today! After much frustration with trying to use a calling card containing directions only in Spanish and binary code (lol), the family I live with felt sorry for me and let me use their phone to call my mom. Happy Birthday, Mom! It was great talking to you today.

Another highlight of the day was touring La Boca. La Boca was so named "The Mouth" because it was the first port for Buenos Aires. It is colorful, loud and

dangerous. (They say during the

day it is okay to be there, but

even the police leave

at night).

Touring the City (and Getting Lost)

January 18, 2011

Well, off to tour the city. The pictures will tell the story… However, today I went on a walking tour of the city and went on a walking tour to get home as well. The second tour was unexpected. If you look at the map video you will see how far I walked today.

This is where the Israel Embassy used to stand. It was bombed in the 90's.

I am drinking the water from the fountain! Yes, it is pure!

This is our tour guide showing us around.

This is the famous San Martin. However, he is posing with a bird on his finger, today!

This is the guard of the eternal flame that burns In remembrance of the death of Argentine soldiers that fought Great Britain for the Falkland Islands or “Islas Malvinas” called by Argentinians. Do not bring up this subject to an Argentinian. It is not a good topic for conversation!

The photo above is of a palace in Buenos Aires made exclusively from materials from France.

This is our enthusiastic tour guide talking of the Big Bend copy in the background.

This is a walk through on of the Plazas in the city.

Another view of the large trees in the plaza.

Tango in the streets!

The two pictures above are of the local Buenos Aires version of Barnes and Nobles. The place is quite elaborate to say the least!

Okay, never mind on the map video referenced before the pictures. After about 30 minutes the video only uploaded 13%. And, that's with WiFi.

Getting Settled

The view from my bedroom window

January 16, 2011

I am here now at my new home unpacked and well fed. I have met my host family, but unfortunately will have to ask their names again. Graciela and Christian I think? Anyhow, a couple of cool things have happened today. One, I have starting subconsciously thinking of worship songs in Spanish! I often have songs in my head but today I have been thinking of Spanish songs!!! Two, there is an amazing view of the city from my high rise window. I am on the 7^th floor! WOW!!!! I am excited to breathe it all in… The city sounds and smells so amazing and I am ecstatic to be here! Is this really happening to me? Yes, I just slapped myself and I am really here. It is not just a dream. Argentina, I love you already!

Wow, so it is nearly 11pm (I am still on Texas time where it is only 8pm). The city is still hustling and bustling, but I must prepare for my first day of classes tomorrow morning. I think I’ll read a little more of Narnia’s tales and drift off to sleep eventually.

January 17, 2011

After much fighting with the toilet, I finally got it to cut off. It is amazing what one can miss when given instructions in a foreign language on how to use an appliance. However, I began Kindergarten again today. After more than 15 years being out of school, I started in the 2^nd week of Spanish classes. (With all my Spanish background I somehow managed to only test out of one week… eek!) My host mom walked me to school today and even went inside with me to be sure I got there. It was so great to have someone looking out for me in this big city. I only went to 1 ½ hrs of class because of the placement exam, but I was still exhausted. We studied, played Pictionary in Spanish – muy dificil and then were served lunch and given a list of the do’s and don’ts of school. After class, I walked back to my neighborhood with my new friend Julie of Germany and David of Switzerland. We stopped along the way and ate ice cream. Wow, was that a big ice cream cone! I came home, rested, finished reading one of Narnia’s tales and now need to study!!! After all, that’s what I am here for (I think).

Much later… Wow, I am so tired. I have done some homework and just finished with dinner. It is now about 11pm. Dinner is so much later here! But, I guess my schedule is similar to that at home… Awaken at 730 here, which is 430 back home. Go to bed at midnight here which is 9 back home. … Well, I shall study a bit more then prepare for bed and class tomorrow.

Homeless

January 16, 2011

Today I learned a few lessons.

One, the reason that Argentinians give a person two oversized bath towels at a hotel room is because one is to be used for the body and the other for wiping the floor after it has been flooded. Yes, I flooded the floor and it took a hand towel and two bath towels to mop it up… Maybe here they take faster showers and that is why they use that badet thing. (BTW, if your name is Kate Young and you are reading this you would LOVE the hot water here. It makes a person look and feel like they have a bad sunburn after showering.)

Two, in the midst of my busyness in preparing for the trip I inadvertently did not receive nor realize I did not receive an important email from the Spanish school regarding where my accommodations would be for the remainder of my stay in BA. So, I spent a rainy afternoon in the hotel lobby learning a lot about Argentine culture on the internet and reading CS Lewis’ tales of Narnia. I kept checking my email thinking I would get a response as to where I was supposed to meet my host family. … It was not until I paid $85 for a suite (honeymoon suite, I think, for reasons that I will divulge only when asked) and checked in for a couple hrs that I got the email telling me where I was to go. So, I checked out of the hotel , took my $85 bar of soap from the hotel room and went on my journey. (see picture above of my 2 hr room)

The hotel in Palermo

This is a picture from my hotel room window.

Before I got to the hotel I somehow took too long in customs and missed my taxi. Maria had told me about the bus, which turned out to suffice, but on the way I saw some gentlemen in dresses playing guitars and juggling for entertainment. Wow, that is a new kind of entertainment!

I went to eat tonight in the center of the district and paid a fortune for bad service, chips, guacamole and a fruit drink. However, it was good to experience the city even if for a short time. While at dinner at the outdoor café, I felt like I was at home in Austin with all the people bringing their dogs everywhere. In fact, I saw a bicyclist with 3 dogs in the basket of the bicycle. He was honking, perhaps to show them off? However, the weather is more like a Colorado summer but with humidity… cool at night with a nice breeze, but hot in the day.

Pictures below are of my hotel room and the patio at the JAM SUITES BOUTIQUE.

Today, I read Yahoo Argentina for my entertainment. I think I grossly misinterpreted the article though. According to my interpretation, it went a lot like this. A model and an entertainer were dating. They discovered a problem with their relationship. The problem was that they were actually related and could no longer date. According to my interpretation, the article dictated that being related was both a good and a bad thing that caused pain. The male was speaking of the discovery that they were related and the pain that it brought...Sounds more like a Jerry Springer episode than real life to me?

I feel so tired…it’s like the last 10 years of my busy life is now starting to catch up with me. Or, maybe it’s just jet lag. However, I must go to conserve the last hour of battery life until I get my converter working properly. Ciao!

My first Week in Buenos Aires

January 14, 2011

My adventure to find summer began with a rainy trip to the San Antonio airport where my parents dropped me off….I didn’t think I would be the one to get emotional but I started tearing up when I gave Mom a hug good-bye. Then, Dad prayed for me and sent me off. I am so thankful for them. I got through the long line and through security quite quickly, which was a big blessing. With an hour to spare I sat down to eat some pizza and started talking to a couple who was travelling to the Steelers game this weekend. They were so much fun to chat with and before I left, she (Debbie) had my email address for her brother, a doctor in San Antonio whom she wants me to meet. Well, I then boarded the plane and had a row to myself. I dozed quite a bit. Arrived in Mexico City safely then went through customs with the green light! At the line to customs I met a very nice young girl who works at Daily Juice and is going to Costa Rica to learn organic farming!!! I re-checked my bags, then went through security once again. Note to self….don’t put tampons in your carry-on or you will be subject to a search!!! However, I think in the end I made the young man much more embarrassed than I was after explaining to him what they were. Lol. The only Spanish word I could think of to say means pregnant so I refrained. I just gestured…

At the airport, I met a Chinese girl who was dating a Mexican boy. We had a fun conversation. …. I love traveling because there are so many people who want to or are open to talk. It’s so much fun!!! Well, I have 5 hours to kill in the airport before my flight to BA.

The adventure chapter begins!

January 15, 2011

I arrived in Argentina after my 8 hr overnight flight with which I shared great conversation with my new friend Maria. Also, I tried to sleep and successfully managed to undo the benefits of my airport massage. … Wow, I just had my computer plugged in the wall to charge and found myself being shocked while typing. Perhaps the voltage converter needs some adjusting. I unplugged it to finish typing. A few highlights from my 1^st day here… I learned to not stick my face in the badet when turning it on. I had heard about those things and my sense of adventure got the best of me. I leaned over much like one would at a water fountain and turned the knob to see what would happen! I got quite a splash! My face was soaked, and my hair drenched! The last time something like that happened to me I think was when I was nearly 4 years old and peered over the bassinette to see my new brother who was only a few days old at the time. Unbeknownst to me he had a different way of greeting me with a fountain. That must have been when I decided I didn’t want to ever change baby diapers.