Un Día Maravilloso

I spent today picking classes, exploring cafés with friends both new and old, and thinking about all the things I want to do in this city, country, and continent. I knew it was going to be a good day when I found out that Universidad de Buenos Aires has a geography department. I promptly pre-enrolled in 3 geography courses (and one history) and then did a squeally little dance of joy with a boy named Evan who also loves geography. Although he doesn’t know it yet, Evan will be my new best friend.

I had a long break in the middle of the day, when those in advanced economics were enrolling, and I walked to this really cool bookstore/café/former theater with two kids from my program called El Atenio (The Athenian - way better than the one in Middletown). The building is circular, with four floors, each one filled with books. The café is in the back of the first floor, the former location of the stage (see photo below). We sat in the café for about three hours. You can look up and see all the books and people. The ceiling is circular and painted like an old Renaissance painting.

I really like the group of kids that I hung out with today. They seemed very down to earth and interested in the same things as me. I even got to geek out about political theory with one of them. We even spoke Spanish the whole time. Although I learn more from hearing Porteño Spanish, it was wonderful to have an uninterrupted Spanish flow from the time I woke up until 7 pm. I don’t know if it was that or just having more time in Buenos Aires, but something clicked today. I began to remember old vocabulary, to speak more quickly, and to do so with a better accent. Best of all, I understood almost all the Spanish I heard, from American students and natives alike. It made the day a whole lot more pleasant.

In general, I’ve been really impressed with the group of students on my program. Before arriving, I expected something akin to college orientation – superficial conversation, artificial cliques, and lots of alcohol. But everyone I’ve met has been friendly, inclusive, and genuinely interested in speaking Spanish, exploring the city, and learning about Porteño/Argentinian culture. Of course, people (myself included) want to experience the nightlife, but everyone seems to have other interests as well.

After the orientation ended for the day, I met up with Jenny Shapiro at a café. For those who don’t know, Jenny is my friend from camp who happens to be studying in BA this semester on another program. It was great to see her, both because I rarely get to see her in America much less in Argentina, and because she’s the only person on this continent with whom, at this point, I can have a comfortable conversation. We sat and talked (in English) for about two hours, and made lots of plans to explore places in and around the city.

I’m beginning to realize just how much the city has to offer, and it’s really exciting. I feel really lucky to have a whole semester to savor it all. If I were here on vacation, I never would have let myself sit in El Ataeno all afternoon. Instead, I would have looked around, taken a few pictures, and moved on to my next destination. But this way I get to experience Buenos Aires, not just see it. And even with all this time, I’ll never get to all the museums, cafés, bars, and classes that I want. I’ll never be done meeting people, improving my Spanish, and learning about Argentina.

When I got back to the apartment, I sat in the kitchen with Elvira while she cooked dinner, and we had a really nice conversation. She asked me how I was feeling, and we talked about the difficulties of simultaneously learning the language, meeting new people, learning my way around, etc. It was good to hear that she is paying attention and cares.

After that, I hung out with Joaquín and his friend who taught me Spanish slang and showed off with their knowledge of English swear words. Just imagine a skinny thirteen-year-old trying as hard as he can to pronounce the words “suck my balls,” and you can begin to understand how funny this conversation was. I learned that “floggers,” as in foto-loggers, are the Argentinian equivalent of emo My Space-ers. They also taught me about “billeros,” who they described as guys who wear lots of “Nyke” (Nike) clothing and carry knives.

Dinner was also very interesting. I’m considering taking a service learning class where we work with the organization Las Madres del Plazo de Mayo. I knew that some of Elvira’s past students had done this, so I asked her about their experiences, unintentionally sparking an argument between Joaquín and Elvira that lasted through all of dinner. Basically, Joaquín began teasing his mom for revering las madres “como dioses,” and she got very angry, trying to explain to him the horrors of the military regime, and the role of las madres in ending it. She told a story about her cousin who worked for the military at that time. When he refused to kill, torture, etc, they basically ruined his life, making it impossible for him to get a job or live in his apartment. It was an intense, fascinating conversation. I was told not to raise this topic with Argentinians, and although I’ve respected this rule, I’m glad that I unwittingly started the conversation.

In other news, I took some pictures of my neighborhood on my walk home yesterday.
El Congreso. You know, just your typical walk home from school.
Apparently, there are a lot of very liberal people in Argentina. Or at least a few people that are good at writing on stuff. That, and putting stickers on things.

El Obelisko, also on my walk home.

I also walked past La Casa Rosada, but it was dark by the time I got there. However, pictures of la casa y El Plazo de Mayo coming soon. Well, it is past my bed time (aka the time when lots of Argentinians are just finishing dinner).

Until next time,
Chelsea