School is in session

It has been for a couple of weeks now, we started on February 2nd I believe. It has been an adjustment to say the least. I'm learning the best way to acclimate is with a go-with-the-flow kind of attitude.

We've had a few kinks that needed to be worked out. For example, we had to change rooms three times. First there was too much of an echo, so we switched to a quieter room. The quieter room was next to the bathroom that is under construction. The noises were a little distracting so we moved to a room that was farther away. The farther away room is on the busy side of the street. It was impossible to hear the lecture over the traffic noises. Unfortunately, having the windows closed was not an option due to the sweltering heat and absence of air conditioning. We finally settled on a room that had little or no noise pollution, of any kind. Now we just have to share the classroom with some pigeons who have built their nest on the fluorescent. These windows don't close, so we just have to make sure we aren't sitting in the drop zone.

Another minor setback, one of the classes for which we are supposed to be instructed in English, is now taught in Spanish. After we postponed for a week, Tony and the University of Buenos Aires found a more than adequate solution. We have the most amazing translator now, although only for a few weeks. I actually think working with a translator is really improving my Spanish. I now have confirmation that I am correctly, or incorrectly as it may be, interpreting what someone is saying. Something that I have found to be continuously frustrating, is that there is never someone there to tell me, word for word, what is being said so that I can immediately associate meaning to the sounds I'm hearing. I think having a translator will fill in a lot of gaps in my knowledge of the language.

I don't want to give you the wrong idea here. I am by no means discouraged by any part of these little bumps in the road to higher learning. I was fully aware that we would be the first students studying at La UBA under Panrimo's direction and I expected that we might need to make adjustments.

All I care about is that we are learning, and that we are. I would say my Spanish has improved beyond words, and there is so much to learn about Latin American history and politics. When talking to various people I have met around the city, I have heard nothing but good things about La UBA's Social Sciences department. Actually, I have heard more than once, that it has the best department of all the schools in the city. So we have to put up with a little ring around the classroom, a little bird poop, no working bathrooms, and a lot of construction. We are getting a damn good education.

Seriously though, the bathroom situation will hopefully be resolved in two weeks when the rest of the city goes back to school. I will keep you posted on that.

And now, for some pictures......

Tango Excursion!

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You can't go anywhere in Buenos Aires without being confronted by tango in some form or another. I've read that Argentina is the birthplace of tango, originating in the streets amongst the immigrant populations during the late 19th century. Walking down the street I hear the familiar sounds of tango music blaring from a passing taxi, I see stores selling tango shoes scattered here and there. Posters advertising shows, studios, or lessons pop up just about everywhere I go.

San Telmo is the neighborhood known for its tourist attracting tango shows. This is where we decided to go for our tango excursion. Now, these shows are a dime a dozen in San Telmo. You pretty much just walk around until you find one that appeals to you most. These shows are all unique and there is a good amount of variety to choose from. You can see a show at a small little mom and pop type of venue. Or, you could choose to see a more grandiose tango production. You can find shows that include dinner with the price of your ticket, which is what we did, or you can find shows that include a couple of drinks.

We followed Tony around for a few blocks while he scoped out the spots. We settled on a show that included dinner, although I hear after the fact that the food is usually bad. Luckily, our food was not terrible. We arrived a little late and the show started about 15 minutes after our arrival so we had to eat in the dark.

Our chosen venue had about 30 tables that surrounded three sides of a small stage. I gather that this place is run by an elderly couple that were obviously overseeing things. The decor and costumes had a sort of dated feel. It was a very intimate setting with people from all over the world (the host of the show inquired about where everyone lived, we were the only Americans!)

This tango show was great, very flashy and showy. They had a tango band of piano, violin, bandoneon, and double bass. The bandonean is the coolest instrument. It is a square shaped sibling of the accordion that is played sitting down. The sound comes from pushing and pulling the instrument while pressing buttons. It appears to be played over the bandoneonist's leg and that the sound is also manipulated by leg movements. I have definitely never seen this instrument in the United States.



The show was a mixture of tango dance and song. Three couples danced and there were three different singers. Each of the dancers and singers had their own unique style. I am surprised at how important the tango music is to the culture of Buenos Aires. Tango music seems to be more popular here than the dance. Many people sing tango and it seems that everyone listens to it. I never realized before spending time here that the music of tango is an art form all its own.

We had a great time at the show. After it was over the lights came on and the dancers came down and brought people from the audience to dance on stage. We tried not to get chosen as none of us dance very well. After Tony's urging I got up and danced with the waiter for the last few minutes of the song. It was pretty hilarious and very memorable. I only wish someone had gotten a picture when he dipped me.


(thanks for the photos Bennett!)

Empanadas

They are the perfect food. Here in Buenos Aires, I can eat them every day. Now I'm not talking about some caramel apple empanada from Taco Bell here people. I'm talking about the real thing. They are practically every food group wrapped up into one little tasty package. The varieties seem endless, sweet or savory.
Last night, I had a tuna empanada for the very first time.



Sometimes they are fried, sometimes they are baked, sometimes they are shaped like giant tortellinis, sometimes they are shaped like hostess fruit pies, but this I am sure they are always delicious. Some other fun facts about empanadas are: they only cost around 2,50 pesos (that's around $0.73 usd), you can find them just about everywhere you go, they are considered to be a national dish of Argentina, and, last but not least, you can have them delivered to your door just like pizza.

It's the little things

It's the little things that make you happy when you are in a another country and you don't speak the language. Suddenly I'm happy when I order food and I'm not surprised by what they bring me. I'm also happy when I ask someone where the bank is and their response actually makes sense to me. I'm especially happy when I go to the store to buy something and I actually know how much the total is instead of handing them the largest amount of pesos my purchase could logically be.

This being said you can imagine my elation when I tell you that I successfully purchased two pairs of glasses with corrective lenses for about $55 each. To give you a little back story, I decided when I came here that I was going use the strength of the dollar to expand my collection of eye glasses. Since my arrival in Buenos Aires I have been patiently gathering information about the costs and styles of frames, etc. I had been unpleasantly surprised, until yesterday, to find that due to inflation the cost of frames were more or less the same as in the United States.

However, yesterday I found a little side street off the beaten path of tourists and shoppers. I wandered by several eye glass shops and noticed that the prices were actually in the windows, this I found to be a good sign. I've noticed in many shops here that are not run by large companies or corporations, the price is not displayed in the window. I get the feeling sometimes that when they realize that I am quite obviously an American, and I don't have my way with the Spanish language, then I am immediately given the "foreigner" mark up. I'd like to point out here that I don't attribute this solely to being and American in Argentina, but also that I am living in a big city and dealing with a big city mentality here. It's a dog eat dog world in the big city and I don't quite look like I belong.

So, I liked the prices I was seeing, around 100 pesos per frame. The selections were small but predominantly modern and trendy styles. The last shop I walked by was looking promising but I was lacking the confidence to go in and butcher my way through talking about glasses. Then I decided this, I can either wait around for someone who speaks Spanish to come with me and hold my hand through the process, or I can go in, try to do it myself, and learn from my mistakes. I decided that I can either wait around until I have had a month or two more of Spanish so I can communicate perfectly or I can go in there and use what I've got and have myself an experience. So I turned around and went in.

Here is how it went. I very basically explained that I didn't speak Spanish very well and I was looking at frames. This adorable little old man understood and seemed to be eager to assist me. He also seemed more than happy to use his very small vocabulary of eyeglass salesman appropriate English words.

I tried on a few frames and in all of 15 minutes I had found two frames that I liked, found out the prices of lenses, and talked him down 100 pesos. Well it wasn't really talking exactly, I would write down a price and he would write down another counter offer which we finally settled on. I walked out of there with a partial eye exam to make sure my prescription was correct and two pairs of glasses with light-weight lenses that had anti-reflective coating for about 100 usd. Can't get that done in the US even with insurance. Success!