First step

I know this isn't the most pleasant topic, but thought it was worth mentioning that I stepped in my first pile of dog business today.  It was inevitable since it is so prevalent.  Wonder why ...

Uruguay on a whim

Last week, we casually discussed taking a trip "at some point" to Uruguay with our good friends Simon & Gareth, since they won't be in BA much longer.  This past weekend was an option, but on Thursday night when we had not yet decided to go by dinner's end, the planner in me really didn't think we were going.  Neither did the planner in Cait.

Well, Friday morning rolled around and we went to class as always.  During "recreo" (our break) the 4 of us huddled together and decided, "Por que no?"  So then and there, we bought tickets for a 4:00 ferry to Uruguay.  Class ends at 1:30, so that gave us exactly one hour to get home, get packed, and get going, ignoring such minor details as what we would do when we got off the boat and where we were staying for the next 2 nights. 


We were off!  Our first trip while in BA, and a very spontaneous one at that.  We were quite proud of ourselves.  First stop Montevideo, then on Sunday, on to Colonia (which Caitlin will discuss). 

Before we even arrived in Montevideo, we had a great impression of the people.  On the 3 hour ferry ride, we met Elsa & Soledad, these 2 wonderful older ladies sitting nearby.  Turns out they are from Uruguay & Columbia, but live in Jackson Heights near where Cait used to live when she was in Elmhurst.  When they found out they were former "neighbors," they took us on like we were blood!  When the boat docked, they had us follow them to a city bus stop (a 15 minute hike away) and then paid for our bus rides.  Their generosity instantly gave us a good feeling about Uruguay and we were excited to continue.  

L-R: Elsa, Soledad, Caitlin (duh)

One problem down, another to go.  Where to stay???  Despite our successful bargaining with the first hotel we saw, we ended up at a hostel down the street that was a bit cheaper.  They only had dorm rooms left (Court & Jen, you know that's not my style!) but we decided to stay the first night there because the price was right.  I think I can sum it up by saying that the next morning, we unanimously decided to jump ship and look for a new home.  The new place turned out to be the initial hotel we bargained with, and we were never happier to have our own shower.


As in Argentina, when Uruguay is playing their World Cup match, nobody is without a television (see below).  Thank goodness they won because I am still not ready to see what happens when either team loses.

We toured around the city as anyone would, visiting sites like the historic Teatro Solis and a few cool museums.

 
We then hit the jackpot when we found the only place in the city where there were people!  A giant pavillion with heaps of steak, excitement from the win, and a lot of beer drinking.  Our kind of place.


As with this meal, all of our meals in Montevideo were delish.  These pics say it better than I can.  

Off to Colonia ...!

Colonia: No more than $20 American...

So Ames has filled you in on our trip to Montevideo. We bid adios to Montevideo at 11:30 AM and set off on a 2 hour and 40 minute bus ride to Colonia. Unfortunately, when we arrived it was cold and rainy, not necessarily the best weather for sightseeing by foot. Well, no worries, because we didn't sightsee by foot! As we were walking into town, we passed a golf cart rental place and our friend, Simon, decided to inquire about the rentals. As he went to negotiate I shouted that I was not paying more than $20 American (per person), well Simon y Gareth successfully negotiated for the bargain price of $9 American each, so we were on our way. I should probably add that I was really embarrassed to be renting one of these golf carts and even refused to go in to the shop while the negotiation was in progress, because I felt that the golf cart would scream LOS TURISTAS, but it turned out that this was a town that thrived on tourism and everyone was riding around in a buggy. And I have to admit I was extremely happy to be inside the cart, and able to stay dry and warm.

Colonia was a really quaint town right on the coast of Rio de la Plata, so we could walk right up to the coast, but we were absolutely freezing as you will see from the pictures- we are looking forward to going back when it is warm to enjoy the beaches! Colonia was a great place for a day trip. We went out for a delicious lunch, and then rode around in our buggy to take in the sights. We shopped a bit, toured around and visited a lighthouse. We successfully took in most sights of Colonia in less than 4 hours and while there was not tons to see, what we did see was really beautiful. We caught the 7PM ferry and were back home in Buenos Aires by 10:30PM. It was such an easy trip I can see why people would just continue to renew their visas this way!

Lighthouse, which we climbed to the top of!

I sucessfully conquered two fears: heights and birds!

The buggy!

Amy and I freezing in front of Rio de la Plata!

And the crowd goes wild...Argentina wins again!

So Amy and I have fully caught World Cup fever- mainly because we don't really have any other option. You either watch futbul or sit in your house and do nothing. As Amy and I were walking towards Plaza St. Martin to watch the game at around 3:20pm (10 minutes prior to game time) stores were locking there doors and posting signs that said abierto a las 18hrs (open at 6pm). So if you wanted to go to a shop, drop off your laundry, or grab a bite to eat, you wouldn't be able to. As the saying goes, if you can't beat them, join them and that's just what we did. We watched the Argentina contra Grecia in Plaza St. Martin with the rest of Buenos Aires. It reminded me of Summer Stage movies at Central Park, instead of watching a movie your watching a match with at least 25,000 other people (probably more). Plaza St. Martin is a large green space with a big screen and very loud audio system so that Amy and I could listen to the Spanish commentary. We were not able to pick out most words, but we did catch them saying: Messi....partido...Messi.... equipo.... Maradona. But who needs to understand the commentary, we now speak the universal language of Futbul! However, there was a one downside, we did have to stand for the entire game, on a slanted hill so by the time the game was over our feet were really hurting , but it was worth it! The crowd erupted when Argentina scored their first goal: fire crackers went off, confetti was shot out into the air and the crowd went wild! I got pushed, Amy got stepped on and we loved every second of it! We knew what to expect when they scored their second goal so Amy and I, and the rest of the portenos, were jumping with glee! We were extremely happy to be a part of Argentina's 2-0 win! Felicaciones Argentina! We can't wait to cheer you on next time! Pictures below don't do the crowd any justice, but you will get the gist.

Amy and I enjoying the game.

Portenos LOVE their mate. They even bring it with to watch the World Cup!

Straining to see the screen!

A good shot of the crowd.

I just had to post this

Bet you can guess why :)

Argentina scores a goal!

Caitlin and I walk the same 30 minute path to school each morning, so it surprises me when I notice a prominent shop I haven't seen before now that we're 2 weeks in.  I have to attribute it to the fact that when walking the streets of BA, you are sort of forced to look down.  If you don't, you'll either trip on an uneven sidewalk panel, walk into some unfinished construction, or (yay!) step in a big pile of dog business.  All 3 are pretty prevalent, so I'm learning it's best to just keep my head down while walking even though it may take longer to see the sites.

When Argentina played their futbol match on Thursday, we were unfortunately on said walk to school.  The looking-down didn't really matter though because I firmly believe that even if you are in the depths of the subte, you will know when Argentina scores a goal.  It's one of the most fascinating things here.  During the games, the streets are empty - free of most cars and pedestrians.  Each shop you pass you see the employees somehow watching the game - construction workers listening on the radio, garage workers huddling around tiny screen TVs, hairdressers watching in the backs of their salons.  The city literally erupts with noise after each goal scored and I can't help but smile and think, "I hope the next time they play I will be somewhere else besides the walk to school!"

The good news is that they play next in the afternoon, after school.  Finally we will get to watch from the inside.  Not so for the USA, but we will still be cheering on in spirit.

MALBA y Intercambio, take 2

So Amy and I, and the rest of the scout group, decided to take a field trip to Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires (MALBA). I guess I should start by explaining our scout group- it includes two guys from my class (shout out to Gareth and Simon), two girls from Amy's class and one random girl from school who we picked up along the way. (I felt as though someone should be holding a megaphone and bright orange flag.) Anyway, we were told that it was just a quick 15 minute walk, so the 7 of us set out down Avenida Coronel Diaz in search of MALBA and arrived 30 minutes later. I am finally catching on, 15 minutes means 30 and whatever you do, do not arrive on time! We were told that the cafe was a great spot for lunch, but what we were not told was that there was a $9 cubierto (table service charge), for us unemployed students this was quite steep! However, the food was delicious and Amy and I both enjoyed our meal- it was truly a miracle! My advice: go at 5pm for la merienda (afternoon snack). I beleive there is no cuberito if you just order off the cafeteria menu; however, I have misunderstood the menu before so you may end up paying the cuberito afterall...

The MALBA was great. In general, the art work was really playful and full of bright colors- and the space is fairly small so you can walk around the entire museum in about an hour, mas o menos. It is the perfect afternoon activity. We saw two exhibits- a photo exhibit by Robert Mapplethorpe (a native New Yorker) and Carlos Gallardo ( a Buenos Aires native)- too perfect, no? Gallardo also used photography as his medium, but he incorporated collage like elements, which made his pieces fun and interesting. If you ever visit BA, go to MALBA.


Later on in the evening, we attempted the intercambio (language exchange) once again- and, wait for it...we spoke Spanish! Well, we spoke more than last week. BUT, during our taxi ride home, we had a full on conversation with our taxi driver, about his job & music from the states, because No Doubt's 'No Hables' and Michael Bolton, who in the driver's opinion was a singer clasico, were playing on the radio.

Yo Googleo!

So, my new favorite word en espanol is "Googlear."  It means exactly what you think and I am loving it.  How fun!

After class today, we ventured on the colectivo (i.e. bus) for the first time.  They have a very extensive bus system here that is entirely mapped out in a book called the "Guia-T" which Caitlin mentioned in an earlier post.  It's kind of a hard copy HopStop, which in BA is necessary since HopStop doesn't exist yet (please, come soon HopStop, although we have nothing against the Guia-T).  

Anyhow, I had another laughing fit on the bus when I realized that the bus doors open about 15 seconds before the bus actually stops.  Same with the subte - the doors open while it's still moving.  I thought I had seen everything transportation-wise while living so long in NY, but seeing this really made me giggle.

 

Our travels today brought us all over the city, including a very good meal (finally!) with friends for lunch.  A quick side note on why I say finally -- Cait and I seem to have a bad record with food when it's just the 2 of us.  We either 1) choose a downright terrible restaurant that looks great from the outside  2) order just the worst thing on the menu or 3) attempt to try the pizza again (which might be synonymous with #2, but I will leave it here for emphasis because the pizza really is that bad). 

The weather was beautiful today, so we continued on with our friends and took a stroll through the botanical gardens after lunch.  I can honestly say that there are more stray cats living in both here and the Recoleta Cemetery than I have ever seen in my life.  Combined!  Literally, there are hundreds.

After the gardens, we took 2 different subtes to a rooftop cafe at the Sheraton hotel, where our friend Gareth's host-mom said the view was spectacular and we would be foolish to miss it.  Well, turns out we're going to have to miss it.  The darn cafe closed TEN years ago!!!!

Guess we should have "Googleamos" before making the trek. :)


(also - just wanted to shout out to Court and Jess - happy birthday and belated!!!!!!!)

Cait said it all. Here are the pics!

A courtyard within Casa Rosada

The view from the oh-so-famous balcony where Eva Peron used to speak.  

Finally, this is the president's chamber (we think). 

San Telmo, Casa Rosada y mas cafes!

This past Saturday was extremely rainy so we were not able to do too much exploring, but we did venture out to the San Telmo/Micro Centro area of the city. It was a nice leisurely Sunday. We met up with friends at Dorrego Bar Cafe and I was able to enjoy my new favorite beverage: cafe con leche. And while I love the coffee, the best part about ordering a cafe con leche is the complementary galletitas that come with! Could you imagine getting a free cookie with your coffee at Starbucks! It wouldn't happen, but I guess that is the difference between having a two minute coffee break and a two hour coffee break...Sunday we visited 3 different cafes and I was able to get my fill of cafes y galletitas for certain!

After our cafes we took a leisurely stroll down Avenida Defensa where there is a large flea market, with jewelry, clothing, and antiques y souvenirs. It reminded me of an NYC street fairs. There were many different artists trying to sell their wares. I have not bought anything yet, but the bags and boots are very tempting! Soon enough I will succumb to temptation!

Wondering around San Telmo was quite chilly, so we decided to warm up with a quick stop of the Casa Rosada- which is where the president's office is. We were able to tour the building and see all the various meeting rooms throughout the house (at least I think that is what they showed us. The tour was in Spanish and I only caught about 20% of what they said!). Amy has cool shots from inside Casa Rosada so perhaps she'll post some later...?

Que mas? No mucho. We are really just enjoying the city. We're understanding more and more Spanish daily, which is awesome! And people are really patient with you and allow you to practice your Spanish- so that has been good too! Soon enough we will be getting by with ease!

Ciao for now! Tengo tarea!

Finding our way - noche edition

Most people we meet here think we look around 24.  Nothing new, considering just last week one of the ladies at my bank told my mom she thought I was 18.  18!!!

While living here in BA attempting to master the porteno lifestyle, I think we're going to have to return to the mindset of our early 20s.  Por que, you may ask?  Well in short, we are surrounded by energetic and lovely early-20-somethings, who remind me very much of Amy and Caitlin circa 2003.  Not that we are not energetic late-20-somethings, because as you all know, we certainly love a good night out, but let's just say it's been a while since we have thought, "Maybe we should go on a pub crawl" on a Thursday night.  It's a school night for goodness sake!

Yes, I know we need to do what we want to do - and since you know us, you know we will - but clearly it's quite fantastic to live it up in a new city and do as the Romans do.  So despite my rantings to Caitlin last week about how we're a little past this stage, I think I can ditch that attitude and give it another go this one last block of time.

Last night, in the spirit of our new attitudes, we had a very late night that even took us to a salsa club where we were the only Estadounidenses (i.e. United Statesians).  The trick is to take off your watch and go with it.  

Oh - and you would have been proud of the fact that we spoke pretty much only Espanol at the bar beforehand.  It was brilliant!

We are now off to watch Estados Unidos take down Inglaterra in the World Cup.  Felicitaciones Argentina for a job well done this morning!

Intercambio y the Subte

So we are beginning to get into a routine here in BA. We have almost gone a full week to Vamos Spanish Academy and while my Spanish has only slightly improved my English grammar has improved remarkably. For now, I only have good things to say about Vamos. The classes are small and they offer a lot of programs and workshops, such as how to use the Guia T for the colectivos and an intercambio once a week. We went to our first intercambio last night, and while the point of the intercambio is for us to practice our Spanish, it didn't go quite as planned. The intercambio is open to everyone, not just students. It is an open forum for non-Spanish speakers to practice their Spanish and for Argentines to improve their English. We are supposed to have a 15 minute conversation in English, then switch and have a 15 minute conversation in Spanish. However, I barely spoke any Spanish. Every time I opened my mouth to say something in Spanish, I either (a) couldn't recall the word or (b) sounded like a 3 year old. It also didn't help that the Argentines allowed us to speak in English- so next week we are going to stick to the rules and only speak Spanish. I don't care if I have to say "Hola, me llamo Caitlin" for fifteen minutes straight. I will refuse to speak English...
Anyway, in order to get to the intercambio Amy and I decided to take the subte during rush hour. This was the worst idea we've had so far. I have never seen so many people crammed on to a train in my life. One ride on the BA subte and you will yearn for the 6 train during rush hour. We had to wait for 4 trains before being able to get on, and even then we were packed in there like sardines. Amy and I were practically crowd surfing. It was such a shocking experience that Amy and I were hysterically laughing; there were tears streaming down Amy's face, but she could barely wipe her eyes because her arms were trapped next to her body and she could barely shimmy them free. When we finally got off the subte we resolved never to do that again, however, after the intercambio we went out till late with friends and were too tired to make the 30 minute trek to school, so we braved the subte again, this time during their morning rush. Amy promised it wouldn't be as bad. She was right, but only slightly. Yes, we were able to get on the first train that pulled into the station, but we were still crammed in there. I actually asked Amy "who is sitting on my back?" Thankfully, no one was sitting on my back, they were just resting their book-bag...


While we miss NYC, BA has a lot a charm and the people we've met are really awesome (both foreigners from all over the world and portenos). Everyone is up for a good time and/or sharing a meal.

P.S. I'd thought I share a picture of our keys- just a touch of old world charm still widely prevalent in BA. We'll write more soon! Ciao!

mmm delicious

Cait and I have now completed 2 days (8 hours) of our Spanish course. Woo hoo! Perhaps I should wait a full week for that kind of enthusiasm, but it really is fun, and it's nice to have some structure to our days. It's also the one thing we do apart, since we were placed at different levels and hence, different classes. To shed a little light on our level differences, Cait can actually communicate with our super, while I usually just smile and say "si" or "gracias". I am doing a little better after our 2 classes, but look forward to the 9 more weeks of class!

Today in my small class of beginners, my neighbor Dave started a conversation:

Dave: How do you say cone - cucaracha?
Teacher: Huh? I don't know that word.
Dave: You know, ice cream cone - cucaracha?
Teacher: Hmm ...
Dave: Like an ice cream cone [he air-draws one out]
Teacher: Oh!! [lightbulb on - she draws one on the board] You asked for it "en cucaracha"??
Dave: Isn't that what it is?
Teacher: Ha! Cucaracha means cockroach! You asked for ice cream in a cockroach!
Dave: No wonder the man looked at me funny.
Teacher: Next time ask for "Helado de chocolate en cucurucho." :)


Along the same lines, Caitlin's teacher taught her class a notable "falsa amiga" (i.e. a Spanish word we might think means what it sounds like in English, but it really means something entirely different):

"Embarazada" does not mean embarrassed (it means pregnant)

Note to self: Pay attention to detail.

Another beautiful day

Today we were lucky enough to spend time with our new friend Andy, who was born and raised in BA. Back in 1995, we met Andy and his fam on a Schulman family vacation to Florida, and did not keep in touch over the years. Flash forward to 2009 when I told my parents I wanted to move to BA. My mom immediately thought of Andy's family, looked in our photo album, and get this -- found a dual family picture from the vacation, along with Andy's dad's business card! She contacted him, and he was kind enough to set us up with his son, who was kind enough to take us around today. It was great.

We met Andy today at the Jardin Japonica - i.e. Japanese Gardens - which are absolutely gorgeous. They were hosting a "festival" there - which is really a series of performances in a crowded, smallish room. Very cool though. Especially cool was the Taiko performance, which to me, looked like a fabulous way to tone my arms! I'm thinking about joining the troupe. It was this impressive 17-person drum show that everyone was plotzing over. Here is a picture of the performance, and then a pic of Cait and I in the gardens:


After we left Andy we did our first major grocery shop. If you're ever shopping in BA, make sure you get your veggies & fruits priced before you get to the ridiculously long and slow checkout lines. Otherwise, you'll have to learn the hard way like we did when we tried to buy bananas on our 2nd day here. Oh well.

One last grocery store comment - they do not have peanut butter here. I am going into withdrawal! If you plan to visit (which would be awesome), please stuff some in your suitcase :)

Our Scavenger Hunt through Cementario de Recoleta

Yesterday, we took our first outing as tourists. We went to Recoleta's Cemetery which was first founded in November of 1822 and it is the burial place of choice for many of Argentina's elite- presidents, artists, generals, aristocracy, and most famously, Eva Peron (photo below).

The cemetery is located in walking distance to our apartment, so we set out with our guide books and took to the streets. When we arrived at the cemetery we purchased a really terrible map for AR $6 that was completly unorganized. We were told to look at Eva Peron's mausoleum and then go and wander around to the back of the cemetery to see the more artistic ones. We took the person's advise, but then after looking at our guide books we saw that there was a Top 10 Features list of other important people whose mausoleums were definitely worth seeing. We set out to find the other 9 listed in our guide book. However, by the time we decided we wanted to see these other features we only had the unorganized map to rely on so we didn't really know where we were going, but somehow we were successful in finding 7 features. I think a new goal might be to go back and find the other 3 features...perhaps we wait to take on this task with our first visitor!

Finding Our Way

I am pleased to report we successfully used the BA subway (subte). It was incredibly easy the system is probably 1/6 the size of NYC. Regardless, our successful maneuvering allowed us to attend our first asada (BBQ) last night and I ate more bife than I have in the past three years. It was delicious and I am happy to be ending my vegatarianism. The party was full of ex-pats, many of whom were from NY-- LI to be exact. No matter how hard you try to get away, LI always has a way of creeping back in. However, we're grateful for the LIers because they had good tips on navigating the city. Soon enough we'll be purchasing cell phones and using the colectivos (buses) with ease. We also tried to get some advice on language schools- but people seemed to be split on how to advise us.
We've decided to enroll in Vamos Spanish for 10 weeks- it was clear from our language assesssment exam that we needed the most intensive option offered. The Director of the program seemed confident that after 10 weeks we would be able to speak Spanish- we shall see. However, I'd like to point out that there is no money back guarantee. After our 10 weeks we will tell you whether or not we recommend the program.

First photos, for those interested

We're now south

This is our official first post! After nearly 24 hours of travel time, we arrived at our lovely little apartment in a neighborhood called Recoleta. It's close to a park, which is always nice.

Things we have learned in our short time here:
1) it's easy to unpack when you're living as a minimalist
2) contrary to what the agent says, you do not need to collect your enormous bags in Mexico City
3) you do, however, have to wait your turn in the customs line
4) when it's your turn in the Argentine customs line, it does not matter why you are here or how long you are staying
5) pizza is MUCH better in NY
6) empanadas are MUCH better in BA
7) it's nice to live in an elevator building, even if you are on the 2nd floor!