Uruguay, Grappa and a Rainbow!
el lunes, el 22 de Septiembre de 2008: My official one month in Buenos Aires!
Last weekend a few of my friends from the program and I decided to escape the loud bustle and smoggy Porteñan atmosphere for a couple of days. We sought reclusion in the tranquil location of Colonia del Sacremento, Uruguay. Being located right across the Rio de la Plata from Buenos Aires, it’s a pretty common and super easy jump on a ferry to visit the foreign country for a couple of days. It was exactly what we needed, too: a refreshing break in a clean and friendly small town. And of course, another stamp in our passport!
The trip was also a great reason to celebrate Jessie’s 23rd
birthday. She’s a girl in the group that came with us to Colonia, and she’s also, coincidentally, a girl I met three years ago at San Diego City College in an English class. We worked together on a group project and became friends after. It was rad to find out she was doing this study abroad program, as she’s someone I already knew I could connect with. She had also moved out to California shortly after high school from Daytona Beach, Florida, and found herself living an awesome life and has been there since! I was stoked to meet someone with so much of a free spirit and at the same time centered with intellect and an appeal towards cultivating positivity. As I have mentioned before, the group is pretty diverse in people and circumstances, so it was cool to click right away with certain people. Jessie and I knew each other before, as did my friend Ryan and I. All three of us were interested in dancing (and, might I say, we are pretty damn good, too) so they have become my weekly salsa buddies. We also began taking on "Rock and Roll/Americano" style dance classes at the same dance club, "Azucar." It's a little like swing, a little like Elivis-era dancing, and feels best when danced to juke box music! Other new friends include the hilarious and fun lifeguard, Kari, from U.C. Santa Barbara who is originally from San Diego and also withdrew from the U.C. system to study abroad with SDCC; Angelli is a smart and down to earth girl from the LA area with Peruvian ancestory and teaches yoga and knows how to ride motorcycles; and Anthony, a mellow R.E.I. employee and surfer who is actually doing this study abroad right out of high school. I totally respect him for being 18 and going for opportunities like this one! The other girl who came on the trip to Colonia was Ellen, a musician with an awesome and interesting life story. We shared the commonality of both being homeless before this trip.
We left Saturday morning, September 13, around 9 and arri
ved on the coast of Colonia around noon. The boat ride was pretty luxurious for a ferry, with nice reclining seats more comfortable than in an airplane, a food and drink bar and, of course, a lounge singer! I spent most of the time soaking up the sun and fresh air on the rooftop of the “Buquebus.” This was where Porteñans sat, chatted, napped and drank mate during the 3 hour ride. Once arrived, we stepped out of the ferry station on to the streets of Colonia where we could instantly feel the charm and relaxation the town had to offer. Actually, it was funny- from the ferry port on the east side of the town, we walked west about 5 blocks to the main street and began seeing the water again. We had almost walked across the whole city in about ten minutes! This was a relief, as we had become so accustomed to enormity of Buenos Aires, of the constant confusion of trying to figure out where you are, and of being so overwhelmed by how much there was in the megacity. The only thing we had to worry about here was finding an ATM-that’s how tiny it is! The central part of Colonia is only about ten blocks wide, and the main street runs about fifteen blocks north to south along the peninsular geography of the town. 
After checking into our rustic little hostel with Spanish-styled architecture, we ran to a “Paradilla” (Spanish for a style of restaurant that serves up barbecued meats) around the corner and cheers-ed to new friends and Jessie’s birthday weekend. The craziest thing about Uruguay is how cheap it is. US$1 equals about UR$18 (or pesos uruguayos, pronounced ooo-rooo-gway-shows). This means that for every UR$100 I spent, I was only spending about US$5! We got the bill and it was about UR$700, US$35 for seven people to eat, including salads, deserts, bottled water and five liters of beer! How can you beat this? The only thing better was the scooters available for rent for only US$25 for 24 hours! We got in motion and began looking for this unbelievable deal. 
The great thing about Colonia was that, although it is quaint and simple, there still much to keep 
you occupied. We were constantly side tracked with the other possibilities of what to do. While searching through the town for the scooters, we came across a rad “feria” that sold jewelry, clothes and grappa. Grappa is customary in Uruguay, and we told more than once to try it here. An Italian creation, grappa is usually a clear, un-aged distilled type of brandy made from pomace (left over grape skins, stems and seeds from the wine making process). It’s a strong liquor, about 100-160 proof. I remember trying it a couple times in San Diego in shot form, and in the delicious “grappa cake” recipe of my good friend Shannon Essa. Of course, we bought a few bottles. Right near the feria was a beautiful little beach, with draping willow style trees and welcoming, plush green grass. I sat with Anthony and Kari and took sips of the grappa while watching the sun sparkles dance 
on the water and sear through the tree leaves. It is so nice to have such freedom. The laws here are so different for various reasons: drinking in public, like on the beach, on the street outside a bar or restaurant, or in a cab (not sure exactly how legal that one is, but it’s pretty easy to do) is really not a big deal. Anthony and Kari are both relaxed and fun people to be around. With the beautiful beach atmosphere and already great company, the grappa only enhanced an already amazing moment in Uruguay!
The group eventually went to go take a nap, while I was ready to rent a scooter! Everyone in town rides some sort of two wheeled transportation, especially small scooters. I kept seeing up to four people piled on a scooter, or people riding with their mate gourds in their hands. I had to rent one! It was incredible: US$25 for 24 hours with a 150cc scooter. The woman who rented them was friendly, and someone I finally felt like I could trust! After attempting Spanish and eventually running into vocabulary I didn’t know, she busted out her perfect English and after some paperwork and translation barriers, I was cruising through the cobble stone streets of Colonia during sunset on a scooter! I went and woke everyone up and got them ready to rent some wheels with me. No one really knew how to ride them except for me, so it was fun teaching everyone. Anthony and Angelli were used to two wheels, so they picked it up quick. Ellen and I cruised through town and saw the bigger size of the small city. By the time we all rented the scooters, the sun was gone and the temperature dropped dramatically so we ran to the nearest and cheapest restaurant for heat and food. The rest of the night was spent drinking grappa, getting to know Jessie, Ryan and Anthony a little more in a drinking card game and headed to the only “boliche” (Porteñan and Uruguayan for discoteca, or dance club) in Colonia. I ran into some friends from the States at "Amnesia" that I met in Buenos Aires, chowed down on a hamburger with a hard boiled egg in it from a street vendor (a very common combo here) and then went to bed early. . . at 5 AM!
To goof balls! (I love this photo)
Our attempt to recreate the jump with me in it failed. . .
The next day was one to remember. After awaking surprisingly early, we had a little breaky at the hostel, then rode our scooters around town and over to Barrio Historico, a historical neighborhood and UNESCO heritage site with an old lighthouse (El Far
o, it’s called) and stone structured housing. Colonia gets its name from its colonial history, originally being a Portuguese settlement over 300 years ago. Much of the architecture from that time period still stands today. The aged appearance of all of the buildings was so convincing that I was surprised they even had modern water and electricity facilities! We found another delicious restaurant to sit outside and eat at, right on the river of course.
La Plaza de los Toros
Ready to ride, we cruised about 10 kilometers out of the town to the more rural area
, where we found La Plaza de los Toros, an abandoned bull fighting ring right in the middle of a small village. This was the coolest experience of mine yet. The ring is massive and beautiful when you first see it, and it’s completely hidden away from the whole world off the beaten treck in the rural area of Colonia del Sacramento. A fence surrounded the ring, with a huge hole in one side about the size of a five-foot-five person. A local motioned us to go in with his hand. My only thought was, “this would never happen in the States!” Being inside felt so 
surreal, as you could feel the age and decrepit structure still breathing after one hundred years. All the metal beams were rusted, the stone was broken and caved-in around various parts. The center of the ring, where the bulls ran, was plush with grass. It was unreal to stand in the middle and circle your view around the seating area, where hundreds of people sat and roared for the gruesome sport a century before. Later, I learned it was built in 1910 and actually only saw 8 bull fights before bull fighting became illegal in 1912 in Uruguay.
If you look hard enough, we are actually spelling out "Colonia" (It must have been all the grappa)
By this time, our short time in Colonia was about to come to an end. We rode along the coast twenty minutes back into town, where we checked out of our hostel and returned the scooters. After a little trouble with the unfriendly Uruguayan customs, and almost having to leave Ellen, we found ourselves back on the boat 
and headed home to Buenos Aires. It’s weird to take trips like that and realize that my new home to return to afterwards is Buenos Aires, Argentina; I like this feeling. I was excited to come back to the city with another fresh start and take the craziness head on. Yet, with what I found here in Colonia, part of me is eager for the nature and tranquil beauty I will find later in my trip, in the Andes of Peru, and hopefully the jungles of Brazil. For now, my focus stays here in BsAs, and on improving my Spanish and salsa skills to become a suave gringo!
Upon returning back home to my little Recoleta apartment, I met a new house guest. Her name was Sabrina and she was from Suiza (Switzerland). She had stayed with the same family in the exact apartment a year prior and also went through the E.C.E.L.A. program. Right away we clicked and caught up on solo travel stories and talked for hours-all in Spanish!! I felt so much more confident speaking the language with someone who was a few steps ahead of me, but who was still learning the language as well. It was motivating to know also that she had arrived a year before in the same situation as me: not speaking any Spanish and nervous about learning it. Yet, she already knew Swiss-German, French and English, so I am sure she picked up the language faster than I could.
The rest of the week was awesome, as the house was full of guests. There was me, the American guy, Sabrina, the fun Suiza, and Martin, the son of Maria Silvia visiting from Ushuaia. The whole week was packed with fun dinners, going out and for the first time, Sabrina took me to an Argentine soccer (or "futbol") game! Argentines are die hard futbol fans. We actually went with some other students from our school that were from all different countries in Europe, the schools director, who is a young and super fun chick from Buenos Aires and some other cool employees of E.C.E.L.A. The game was intense, with nonstop cheers and singing from both sides, flags, shredded-paper flying all over the stadium and people shouting obscenities loudy in their songs and words. I kept hearing everyone, including a little kid and women, screaming, "Andate a la concha de tu madre!" I won't translate that for you, but it has to do with the birthing canal of "your mother." There are two big teams in Buenos Aires, La Boca and River Plate. This is a huge rivalry, and the city is split with fans on both sides. We were at the River Plate game vs. another Argen
tine team. Soccer is insane here though, and often ends in riots, and in some past cases, deaths! Brought over by Britain over a hundred years ago, it is the highest energy sporting event you can ever experience, especially in Latin America, but even more specifically in Argentina! In the Life and Culture class last Friday, we got a look at some crazy film clips of riots and amazing soccer moments from players like the Argentine Diego Maradona, supposedly the best futbol player of all time. I was definitely amazed by some of the clips. Never really having an interest in sports, soccer surprisingly brings out a lot of excitement in me. The game is rad and complex, the culture for it is fascinating and the players are amazing! River Plate unfortunately lost by one point, and afterwards, we were forced to wait 30 minutes after the game ended until both teams left the stadium. This is protocol of all futbol games, as to protect the safety of the players and prevent riots!
What a week. The week I am in now is all work and salsa until Thursday when I leave with some friends for three days in Iguazu Falls, one of the world's 7 wonders in Northern Argentina, on the border of Brazil and Paraguay. We will arrive in the jungle on Friday morning, and leave Sunday night. Then, my week break will be spent on the gorgeous beaches of Florianopolis, Brazil for 5 days, from Monday morning to Saturday! I can't believe I am going to Brazil!!!!!!! Ate logo!
el lunes, el 22 de Septiembre de 2008: My official one month in Buenos Aires!
Last weekend a few of my friends from the program and I decided to escape the loud bustle and smoggy Porteñan atmosphere for a couple of days. We sought reclusion in the tranquil location of Colonia del Sacremento, Uruguay. Being located right across the Rio de la Plata from Buenos Aires, it’s a pretty common and super easy jump on a ferry to visit the foreign country for a couple of days. It was exactly what we needed, too: a refreshing break in a clean and friendly small town. And of course, another stamp in our passport!The trip was also a great reason to celebrate Jessie’s 23rd
birthday. She’s a girl in the group that came with us to Colonia, and she’s also, coincidentally, a girl I met three years ago at San Diego City College in an English class. We worked together on a group project and became friends after. It was rad to find out she was doing this study abroad program, as she’s someone I already knew I could connect with. She had also moved out to California shortly after high school from Daytona Beach, Florida, and found herself living an awesome life and has been there since! I was stoked to meet someone with so much of a free spirit and at the same time centered with intellect and an appeal towards cultivating positivity. As I have mentioned before, the group is pretty diverse in people and circumstances, so it was cool to click right away with certain people. Jessie and I knew each other before, as did my friend Ryan and I. All three of us were interested in dancing (and, might I say, we are pretty damn good, too) so they have become my weekly salsa buddies. We also began taking on "Rock and Roll/Americano" style dance classes at the same dance club, "Azucar." It's a little like swing, a little like Elivis-era dancing, and feels best when danced to juke box music! Other new friends include the hilarious and fun lifeguard, Kari, from U.C. Santa Barbara who is originally from San Diego and also withdrew from the U.C. system to study abroad with SDCC; Angelli is a smart and down to earth girl from the LA area with Peruvian ancestory and teaches yoga and knows how to ride motorcycles; and Anthony, a mellow R.E.I. employee and surfer who is actually doing this study abroad right out of high school. I totally respect him for being 18 and going for opportunities like this one! The other girl who came on the trip to Colonia was Ellen, a musician with an awesome and interesting life story. We shared the commonality of both being homeless before this trip.
We left Saturday morning, September 13, around 9 and arri
ved on the coast of Colonia around noon. The boat ride was pretty luxurious for a ferry, with nice reclining seats more comfortable than in an airplane, a food and drink bar and, of course, a lounge singer! I spent most of the time soaking up the sun and fresh air on the rooftop of the “Buquebus.” This was where Porteñans sat, chatted, napped and drank mate during the 3 hour ride. Once arrived, we stepped out of the ferry station on to the streets of Colonia where we could instantly feel the charm and relaxation the town had to offer. Actually, it was funny- from the ferry port on the east side of the town, we walked west about 5 blocks to the main street and began seeing the water again. We had almost walked across the whole city in about ten minutes! This was a relief, as we had become so accustomed to enormity of Buenos Aires, of the constant confusion of trying to figure out where you are, and of being so overwhelmed by how much there was in the megacity. The only thing we had to worry about here was finding an ATM-that’s how tiny it is! The central part of Colonia is only about ten blocks wide, and the main street runs about fifteen blocks north to south along the peninsular geography of the town. After checking into our rustic little hostel with Spanish-styled architecture, we ran to a “Paradilla” (Spanish for a style of restaurant that serves up barbecued meats) around the corner and cheers-ed to new friends and Jessie’s birthday weekend. The craziest thing about Uruguay is how cheap it is. US$1 equals about UR$18 (or pesos uruguayos, pronounced ooo-rooo-gway-shows). This means that for every UR$100 I spent, I was only spending about US$5! We got the bill and it was about UR$700, US$35 for seven people to eat, including salads, deserts, bottled water and five liters of beer! How can you beat this? The only thing better was the scooters available for rent for only US$25 for 24 hours! We got in motion and began looking for this unbelievable deal. The great thing about Colonia was that, although it is quaint and simple, there still much to keep 
you occupied. We were constantly side tracked with the other possibilities of what to do. While searching through the town for the scooters, we came across a rad “feria” that sold jewelry, clothes and grappa. Grappa is customary in Uruguay, and we told more than once to try it here. An Italian creation, grappa is usually a clear, un-aged distilled type of brandy made from pomace (left over grape skins, stems and seeds from the wine making process). It’s a strong liquor, about 100-160 proof. I remember trying it a couple times in San Diego in shot form, and in the delicious “grappa cake” recipe of my good friend Shannon Essa. Of course, we bought a few bottles. Right near the feria was a beautiful little beach, with draping willow style trees and welcoming, plush green grass. I sat with Anthony and Kari and took sips of the grappa while watching the sun sparkles dance 
on the water and sear through the tree leaves. It is so nice to have such freedom. The laws here are so different for various reasons: drinking in public, like on the beach, on the street outside a bar or restaurant, or in a cab (not sure exactly how legal that one is, but it’s pretty easy to do) is really not a big deal. Anthony and Kari are both relaxed and fun people to be around. With the beautiful beach atmosphere and already great company, the grappa only enhanced an already amazing moment in Uruguay!
The group eventually went to go take a nap, while I was ready to rent a scooter! Everyone in town rides some sort of two wheeled transportation, especially small scooters. I kept seeing up to four people piled on a scooter, or people riding with their mate gourds in their hands. I had to rent one! It was incredible: US$25 for 24 hours with a 150cc scooter. The woman who rented them was friendly, and someone I finally felt like I could trust! After attempting Spanish and eventually running into vocabulary I didn’t know, she busted out her perfect English and after some paperwork and translation barriers, I was cruising through the cobble stone streets of Colonia during sunset on a scooter! I went and woke everyone up and got them ready to rent some wheels with me. No one really knew how to ride them except for me, so it was fun teaching everyone. Anthony and Angelli were used to two wheels, so they picked it up quick. Ellen and I cruised through town and saw the bigger size of the small city. By the time we all rented the scooters, the sun was gone and the temperature dropped dramatically so we ran to the nearest and cheapest restaurant for heat and food. The rest of the night was spent drinking grappa, getting to know Jessie, Ryan and Anthony a little more in a drinking card game and headed to the only “boliche” (Porteñan and Uruguayan for discoteca, or dance club) in Colonia. I ran into some friends from the States at "Amnesia" that I met in Buenos Aires, chowed down on a hamburger with a hard boiled egg in it from a street vendor (a very common combo here) and then went to bed early. . . at 5 AM!
Here's a photo shoot on a little Colonia Beach the next day during a ride on our scooters up the coast:
From Rock Stars in Uruguay. . .
To goof balls! (I love this photo)
Our attempt to recreate the jump with me in it failed. . .
The next day was one to remember. After awaking surprisingly early, we had a little breaky at the hostel, then rode our scooters around town and over to Barrio Historico, a historical neighborhood and UNESCO heritage site with an old lighthouse (El Far
o, it’s called) and stone structured housing. Colonia gets its name from its colonial history, originally being a Portuguese settlement over 300 years ago. Much of the architecture from that time period still stands today. The aged appearance of all of the buildings was so convincing that I was surprised they even had modern water and electricity facilities! We found another delicious restaurant to sit outside and eat at, right on the river of course. La Plaza de los Toros
Ready to ride, we cruised about 10 kilometers out of the town to the more rural area
, where we found La Plaza de los Toros, an abandoned bull fighting ring right in the middle of a small village. This was the coolest experience of mine yet. The ring is massive and beautiful when you first see it, and it’s completely hidden away from the whole world off the beaten treck in the rural area of Colonia del Sacramento. A fence surrounded the ring, with a huge hole in one side about the size of a five-foot-five person. A local motioned us to go in with his hand. My only thought was, “this would never happen in the States!” Being inside felt so 
surreal, as you could feel the age and decrepit structure still breathing after one hundred years. All the metal beams were rusted, the stone was broken and caved-in around various parts. The center of the ring, where the bulls ran, was plush with grass. It was unreal to stand in the middle and circle your view around the seating area, where hundreds of people sat and roared for the gruesome sport a century before. Later, I learned it was built in 1910 and actually only saw 8 bull fights before bull fighting became illegal in 1912 in Uruguay. If you look hard enough, we are actually spelling out "Colonia" (It must have been all the grappa)
By this time, our short time in Colonia was about to come to an end. We rode along the coast twenty minutes back into town, where we checked out of our hostel and returned the scooters. After a little trouble with the unfriendly Uruguayan customs, and almost having to leave Ellen, we found ourselves back on the boat 
and headed home to Buenos Aires. It’s weird to take trips like that and realize that my new home to return to afterwards is Buenos Aires, Argentina; I like this feeling. I was excited to come back to the city with another fresh start and take the craziness head on. Yet, with what I found here in Colonia, part of me is eager for the nature and tranquil beauty I will find later in my trip, in the Andes of Peru, and hopefully the jungles of Brazil. For now, my focus stays here in BsAs, and on improving my Spanish and salsa skills to become a suave gringo!
Upon returning back home to my little Recoleta apartment, I met a new house guest. Her name was Sabrina and she was from Suiza (Switzerland). She had stayed with the same family in the exact apartment a year prior and also went through the E.C.E.L.A. program. Right away we clicked and caught up on solo travel stories and talked for hours-all in Spanish!! I felt so much more confident speaking the language with someone who was a few steps ahead of me, but who was still learning the language as well. It was motivating to know also that she had arrived a year before in the same situation as me: not speaking any Spanish and nervous about learning it. Yet, she already knew Swiss-German, French and English, so I am sure she picked up the language faster than I could.
The rest of the week was awesome, as the house was full of guests. There was me, the American guy, Sabrina, the fun Suiza, and Martin, the son of Maria Silvia visiting from Ushuaia. The whole week was packed with fun dinners, going out and for the first time, Sabrina took me to an Argentine soccer (or "futbol") game! Argentines are die hard futbol fans. We actually went with some other students from our school that were from all different countries in Europe, the schools director, who is a young and super fun chick from Buenos Aires and some other cool employees of E.C.E.L.A. The game was intense, with nonstop cheers and singing from both sides, flags, shredded-paper flying all over the stadium and people shouting obscenities loudy in their songs and words. I kept hearing everyone, including a little kid and women, screaming, "Andate a la concha de tu madre!" I won't translate that for you, but it has to do with the birthing canal of "your mother." There are two big teams in Buenos Aires, La Boca and River Plate. This is a huge rivalry, and the city is split with fans on both sides. We were at the River Plate game vs. another Argen
tine team. Soccer is insane here though, and often ends in riots, and in some past cases, deaths! Brought over by Britain over a hundred years ago, it is the highest energy sporting event you can ever experience, especially in Latin America, but even more specifically in Argentina! In the Life and Culture class last Friday, we got a look at some crazy film clips of riots and amazing soccer moments from players like the Argentine Diego Maradona, supposedly the best futbol player of all time. I was definitely amazed by some of the clips. Never really having an interest in sports, soccer surprisingly brings out a lot of excitement in me. The game is rad and complex, the culture for it is fascinating and the players are amazing! River Plate unfortunately lost by one point, and afterwards, we were forced to wait 30 minutes after the game ended until both teams left the stadium. This is protocol of all futbol games, as to protect the safety of the players and prevent riots!
Sabrina left on Thursday morning for the amazing nature of Bariloche, a gorgeous location in the 
Southern Andes of Argentina in the province of Río Negro. It was a short meet, and I can already tell we will keep in contact! Martin's last week few days was this past weekend. I got to hang out with more Argentine's, practice my Spanish, learn new bad words and exchange stories! I also checked out Palermo, a really cool and hip neighborhood of Buenos Aires with rad restaurants, stores and clubs. For the first time also, I walked through el Cemetario de la Recoleta where Eva ("Evita") Duarte de Perón was buried. Sundays are magical here, as I have already written about. Everything stops, nothings open, and people just enjoy the day. The day started off cloudy, then the bright sun beamed through and shined. Right near the cementary is Plaza Francia, a rad park where vendors and performers set up every Sunday to entertain locals. Clouds slightly blanketed over the sun at this moment, letting an amazing golden illumination fall over everything and allowing a subtle and delicate glow of light. At the same moment, it started to lightly rain, which led to a massive and perfect rainbow to stretch across the whole park, and everyone (hundreds of people walking past one another) stopped to look up for the few minutes of its existence.
Southern Andes of Argentina in the province of Río Negro. It was a short meet, and I can already tell we will keep in contact! Martin's last week few days was this past weekend. I got to hang out with more Argentine's, practice my Spanish, learn new bad words and exchange stories! I also checked out Palermo, a really cool and hip neighborhood of Buenos Aires with rad restaurants, stores and clubs. For the first time also, I walked through el Cemetario de la Recoleta where Eva ("Evita") Duarte de Perón was buried. Sundays are magical here, as I have already written about. Everything stops, nothings open, and people just enjoy the day. The day started off cloudy, then the bright sun beamed through and shined. Right near the cementary is Plaza Francia, a rad park where vendors and performers set up every Sunday to entertain locals. Clouds slightly blanketed over the sun at this moment, letting an amazing golden illumination fall over everything and allowing a subtle and delicate glow of light. At the same moment, it started to lightly rain, which led to a massive and perfect rainbow to stretch across the whole park, and everyone (hundreds of people walking past one another) stopped to look up for the few minutes of its existence.
Here are a few pictures of last Sunday:
 |
| Me with Maria Eva Duarte de Perón's (or "Evita" Perón) grave |
 |
| el Cemetario de la Recoleta |
 |
| A perfect rainbow on a perfect day |
 |
| Just another dance party and drum circle in Plaza Francia. High energy, young crowd, relaxing Sunday = so much fun!! |
 |
| mi familia porteña |
This is the apartment I live in. Like I described it in the last post, its very nice and furnished with a lot of antiques. At first, it seemed too nice, and I didn't feel very comfortable sitting on the furniture or walking through the house with my shoes on. After about a week, it really warmed up to me, and I realized Maria Silvia did not have a "don't touch anything" neuroticy or policies for walking around with shoes on. Its a plus that a maid comes about 4 times a week and keeps the place super clean for us.
So as you can see from this photo, it is winter here! I was definitely unprepared for exactly how cold it would be here. It is the beginning of Spring now, but still a little cold and pretty wet from winter. Our first week here was filled with a lot of sunshine, but this was not the case the second week! Due to the extreme change in weather, a new diet of TONS of meat (which I am no long accostomed to in San Diego), a higher amount of pollution compared to California, a bunch of vaccinations (basically small amounts of Yellow Fever, Typhoid Fever and Hepatitis A & B were injected into me), and, of course, experiencing a new and intense night life, I became super sick last week! I started to feel it the second with a little congestion, a stronger desire to sleep (constantly), and a little soar throat. These little symptoms blew up last Monday when I woke up with a fever! I became severely congested, my throat swelled and I was constantly tired and weak. After missing two days of class, I decided it would be best to go tothe hospital. I wasn't the only one who got sick, pretty much everyone experienced some sort of flu and about five of us had to go and get some sort of anitbiotic! Public transportations, kissing people on the cheek hello and being around a ton of sick people were probably leading factors! After a week of taking antibiotics, I finally felt back to normal. What a bummer to spend a whole week doing nothing but resting!
Recoleta: The barrio that I live in. Its really beautiful and pretty cosy compared to some of the others in Buenos Aires. Some streets are busy with cars, but its mostly filled with cafes, little shops and its close to some of the other interesting neighborhoods like Palermo, where you can find hip resturants and clubs, and Once, filled with culture and cheap stores. There are a bunch of nice parks within the tree hugged streets, and its going to be beautiful in just a few weeks when spring brings the life to all of the trees and plants all around Recoleta. The architecture is beautiful, too. Lots of Victorian style buildings. That extravagant building above is one of the most beauitful buildings I have seen in Recoleta. It is actually not a palace, museum or university like I thought, but rather just the local water building where the water is brought in, filtered and sent into the water lines!
One of the banks that was rioted in 2001. It used to be the Boston Bank, owned by U.S. companies. There were many U.S. banking corporations set up down here in the 1980s, and during the 2001 peso crisis, where thousands of peoples savings and checking accounts were emptied out and paid to the government because of a economic crisis, people everywhere in Argentina went broke over night and lost retirement savings, investment stocks and money to provide their family by. Riots and protests lasted months, in the mean time, the president resigned and within less than a month, 6 different presidents were sworn in and resigned. It was a dark period for Argentina, as the Argentine peso went from being of equal value with the US dollar to being significantly lower. Today, the ratio is about AR$3 to US$1. There is still a lot of anger towards U.S. banking corporations that were wreckless with Argentine money and didn't have better security over their funds.
Near Plaza de Mayo, this is El Catedral, a massive and gorgeous cathedral right in the cities 
The rest of my time is taken up by Salsa classes, school and way too much homework, awesome 
