Blissfully mundane... - Sept 9, 2010

Today started rather poorly. I was late to school on the day of my first quiz in Spanish class! My roomie and I waited for the colectivo for 20 minutes until one finally passed full of passengers...and kept going! Waiting another 10 minutes, another -filled to capacity- colectivo drove past. Others waiting with us at the stop began to flag down taxis...I began contemplating the same...

Tuesdays and Thursdays my last class ends at 1pm. I resigned myself to domestic chores to start my weekend off right...

Upon arriving at my Buenos Aires home, I separated and bagged my laundry and dropped if off at a laundromat across the street. In Buenos Aires, laundromats wash and fold your laundry for you. They will even pick up from your home!

Next stop was the grocery store. I thought shopping in the states was hard! With all of my allergies I have to be extra careful and read the ingredients on anything I buy. Now I have to read everything in Spanish!

Going to Cafe Tortoni tonight with the SD City College group to see a tango show. If it's not too late I'll check back in afterwards...Chau!

Photos
Top left: SD City College students in the improptu study room at Expanish (from left to right: Esteban, Freddy, Jacob, Rene and Leilani)
Top right: Line to the register at Carrefour (grocery store)
Bottom left: Paseoperro (dog walker) I spied while waiting for the colectivo this morning
Bottom right: Rene and Leilani studying between class at Expanish

Weekend Life II - September 5, 2010

Sleeping in and squeezing in some schoolwork readings earlier in the day, I ventured out again to Feria de Recoleta in search of a coin purse to keep my colectivo (bus) fare. Already late in the day, I was surprised to see large crowds still swarming the vendors and sitting on the vast grassy areas surrounding the park.

Weaving between the stands, my roomie and I ran into fellow SD City College students and exchanged weekend stories until the sound of drums draws me towards a group of
samba drummers entertaining the crowd with their hypnotic beat.

Photos
Top left: Fellow SD City College students at Feria de Recoleta: Freddy, Esteban and David
Top right: Samba drum group drawing in a crowd
Bottom left: Having a late breakfast in the service kitchen consisting of toast with raspberry marmalade & honey and a glass of apple juice while reading through schoolwork
Bottom right: Crowds relaxing on a Sunday afternoon at Feria de Recoleta

Weekend Life - September 4, 2010

Ahh...finally a break! I decided to take it easy this weekend and kept my schedule open for lots of rest and leisurely walks around my neighborhood to find the necessities: grocery store and a laundromat. On Saturday, my roomie and I stocked up on fruits and snacks at the nearest Carrefour (much like a Vons/Ralphs) to fill the gap between the breakfast and dinners provided with our homestay.

Later we strolled down to the Feria de Recoleta (flea market), only a few blocks away by Cementerio de Recoleta I had mentioned in a previous blog, to check out the local music and various vendors.

Venturing a few blocks north, we ran into Facultad de Derecho (law school) and the blooming metallic flower sculpture Floralis Generica. It was designed by Argentine architect Eduardo Catalano as a symbol of "hope for the country's new spring".

Photos
Left top: Standing on the pedestrian bridge next to Facultad de Derecho
Left bottom: My roomie, David, trying a dulce de leche covered churro at Feria de Recoleta
Right top: Floralis Generica
Right middle: Aqualactic: a band playing on instruments called Urbanstrings that were specifically created and designed to express their music
Right bottom: Grocery shopping at Carrefour

La Boca Tour - September 3, 2010

Argentine Life and Culture is a required class the San Diego City College students on this Buenos Aires study abroad trip takes together every Friday. The morning starts with a lecture by a guest speaker followed by an excursion in the afternoon. This week, the lecture was on Argentina world view and the economic crisis presented by an associate professor of Argentina's Universidad de Belgrano, Liria Evangelista. She deftly condensed a historical timeline of Argentina into an hour, from the early 20th century to present day.

Despite the dreary weather (rain had dominated the week's forecast), the class climbed aboard a colectivo to visit the barrio La Boca, home of the Boca Juniors futbol stadium and El Caminito, the colorfully adorned street founded by local artist Benito Quinquela Martin.

Museo Conventillo, home to Marjan Grum and his wife, was a conventillo (tenement) that housed many poor immigrants from Europe during the early 1900's. Grum has transformed it into a gallery for his art and a cultural center for La Boca where tours are conducted often.

Our last stop was a non-governmental organization called Portenitos where children of the community are welcome to do schoolwork and express their artistic abilities in the creation of shirts, boxes and other handicrafts to sell along with their main source of funding: alfajores (cookies with filling such as dulce de leche or fruit).

Photos courtesy of DK
Left: Museo Conventillo
Top Right: The vibrant El Caminito
Bottom Right: La Bombonera - Boca Juniors futbol (soccer) stadium

Siga la Baca - Aug 31, 2010

Expanish has a fantastic activities coordinator, Javier, who posts excursions around town for students to participate and learn the terrain. Siga la Baca, a buffet style steakhouse in the renovated Puerto Madero was on the schedule for the evening. Another US student staying at my homestay had highly recommended the restaurant as well. A chance to meet other Expanish students, meander the walkways of the trendy Puerto Madero, and sample the Argentine beef so lauded by the locals, I found myself signing up without hesitation.

For a mere US$20 we feasted on salad, other veggies and appetizer style items, unlimited grilled beef cuts, chorizo, dessert, and a choice of a bottle of Argentine wine (red or white), a pitcher of beer, or regular soft drink (tip already included!).

Photo courtesy of DK: David, Crystal and I in front of the main doors of Siga la Baca

First day of school at Expanish - Aug 30, 2010

My roomie and I had mapped out the path to school and determined a walk to school in the "buen aire" (good air) with a cafe con leche (coffee with milk) in hand would be a great way to start the day.

What we had thought would be a casual 30 minute stroll was actually 45 minutes and we rushed the last few blocks on Juan Domingo Peron street to jump into an elevator with a few other students heading to their first day of class as well. To our dismay, the elevator door locking/unlocking mechanism was not working and we were trapped inside the elevator for an hour and a half. As water, granola bars, and alfajores (tasty cookies filled with delights such as dulce de leche and fruit) were funneled through the wedged opening through the bottom of the doors (see photo), I couldn't help but worry about how much material I was missing on my first day of class! :P

My day of bloopers and blunders did not end there. I shall spare you all the details of an hour of wasted time walking back and forth along the same few streets surrounding my school and studiously examining the Guia "T" (bus route guide). Accepting defeat, I decided to make the trek home on foot despite the late hour. Traversing the dark city streets my fourth day in a foreign city was the least of my worries as I did not want to miss dinner with my homestay family at 21:00!!!

Photo courtesy of DK: Leilani (on the ground), Crystal, David, Jake, and I (that's me with the gray beanie) trapped in the Expanish elevator with wooden sticks wedged into the opening for air

City Tour - Aug 29,2010

Our gracious host Expanish, set up a city tour by bus for the San Diego City College group! My roomie, David, and I used the colectivo (bus) for the first time to reach the school to meet with the rest of the group.

Sabrina, our entertaining and knowledgeable tour guide, started us off at Plaza de Mayo where the Casa Rosada (much like our White House) is located, and the plaza where many demonstrations are held by the politically active citizens of Buenos Aires.

Next stop was San Telmo, a neighborhood of cobbled streets and a gritty past. When yellow fever hit, the wealthy moved north and left behind their beautiful homes which would later be occupied by the influx of European immigrants. We took a moment to walk through the Feria de San Telmo (flea market) where tango dancers share the streets with vendors, musicians and tourists.

Puerto Madero was our next destination. Designed by the Argentine engineer, Eduardo Madero in the late 1800's, the port was too shallow and small so the area was abandoned. Presently, the warehouses have been converted into trendy lofts, shops and restaurants. The neighborhood continues to grow, with skyscrapers dotting the skyline. It is also home to a modern bridge called "Puente de la Mujer" (bridge of the woman) designed by Santiago Calatrava, who was inspired by a woman dancing the tango.

Stopping in my neighborhood of Recoleta, we were led through the Cementerio de la Recoleta - a community of it's own with spacious walkways and large mausoleums to house the wealthy after death.

Once again on the bus, we were swiftly driven through parts of Palermo showcasing the city's love of parks, parks, and yet more parks for people to sunbathe, drink mate and walk their dogs.

Photos
Left top: Mausoleums of Cementerio de la Recoleta
Left middle: Skyline and grand walkways of Puerto Madero
Left bottom: Musicians at Feria de San Telmo
Right top: "Puente de la Mujer" in Puerto Madero
Right middle: Tango dancers at Feria de San Telmo
Right bottom: Casa Rosada at Plaza de Mayo

Expanish Orientation and Home Stay Assignments - Aug 28, 2010

Yet another non-stop day...but at least I have a permanent home for the next 10 weeks. Orientation and lunch at Expanish in downtown Buenos Aires started at 10am and seamlessly brought us to the homestay assignment.

I will be living in the prestigious barrio of Recoleta. It is home to Cementario de la Recoleta, where the city's most elite have been laid to rest, Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Argentina's primary national art museum and many more which I will be exploring soon.

Photos
Top left photo: Street signs of the intersection by my Buenos Aires home.
Top right photo: Me having trouble with the downstairs front door... :p
Bottom left photo: Expanish school in downtown Buenos Aires
Bottom right photo: Street signs of the intersection of my school.

First day in Argentina - Aug 27, 2010

Hola a todos! It's my first day in Buenos Aires, Argentina and I am staying in the Argentina Tango Hotel in the downtown area with the rest of the group from San Diego City College. So far, we've had a quick meet and greet at Expanish with complimentary empanadas and live music from local musicians. Tomorrow will be the orientation and our permanent placement with our host families/student apartments. Although I still feel like the earth is moving from my long flight and I'm half asleep, the energy in the city air is contagious and I can't wait to explore more of it! Until tomorrow...

Photos
Left: Professor Bouscaren of SDCC in the middle; Juan Manuel of Expanish towards the right
Right: Avenida 9 de Julio street sign. It commemorates the day Argentina gained its independence in 1816 and it is the widest street in the world.