Ashley- Montevideo!

I recently got back from a short trip to Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay. It's a pretty little port town on the Rio de la Plata that sits on the southern coast of the country. To go with the cheapest travel agency equates to a 30 minute bus ride to Tigre, followed by a 2 hour boat ride to Carmelo (in Uruguay), and then a 3-1/2 hour bus ride through plains located just inland of the coast. The boat ride was not particularly special, mainly because the water of the Rio de la Plata is a murky brownish-gray and the inside of the cabin was too cold to do much of anything, including sleep.

The Uruguayan countryside was very beautiful, even though there wasn't anything outrageously different or distinct to see; just a lot of rolling plains about the color of Northern California's hills in January and February (a bright, almost plastic-looking chartreuse) punctuated by small, dark semi-tropical shrubbery. Every now and then the water was just barely visible on the horizon. It was the kind of simple, hardly-touched scenery Steinbeck might exalt. Every now and then we passed a pueblo, which consisted of a small clump of even smaller brightly colored buildings falling apart with age and connected by dirt roads. The outskirts of the little villages confirmed the central role of farming in the region. It started raining not too long into the trip, which was nice inside the bus, but not so great upon arriving to Montevideo. Not unlike many big cities, the outer neighborhoods didn't show any signs of wealth. In fact, I thought I was getting ready to spend time by myself and without any contacts in South America's Baltimore at first. But the further into the city we got, the more I realized that this was going to be way safer, cleaner, and easier to get around in than Buenos Aires.

From the main bus terminal, I took a taxi to the Centro/Ciudad Vieja area of the city to find a hostel to stay in. Luckily, of the addresses I had marked, the first one I found had a bed available and ended up being a good place to stay. Just for reference to other travelers, I highly recommend hostels that are part of the Hostelling International chain. Having taken care of that, I decided to brave the wet weather and go exploring since I only had 2 days to see everything I wanted to. After about 30 minutes the steady drizzle turned into a downpour and I gave in and bought the second umbrella I've purchased in South America (because I don't check the weather forecast), but it only cost 100 Uruguayan pesos (just a little over US$4). I was able to see the Iglesia Matriz (a beautiful old church downtown), the Gurvich Museum, check out a coffeehouse (Montevideo is well-known for high-quality cafes), and see most of the downtown area before deciding that I was too drenched to do much else for the night. Especially considering that I had decided not to bring any other clothes with me for such a short trip. Lesson learned: ALWAYS carry a pair of clean, dry socks when traveling...it sucks to have to put on cold, dirty, and still damp socks the next morning.

Pedestrian-only walkway in La Ciudad Vieja in the rain.

I got an early start the next day and spent most of the morning and afternoon walking all over the city with a Chilean girl from my hostel. After walking most of the length of La Rambla (the coast-side path), we decided to head back toward the Mercado del Puerto near the hostel via small, residential streets. The smaller streets easily could have been plucked out of an older, more colorful part of San Francisco. Because the water can be used as a reference point, it would be pretty hard to get lost in the main part of Montevideo. It was well past lunch time when we got back to the Mercado del Puerto, a large ware-house like structure that's been turned into a tourist-friendly gallery of restaurants with a special emphasis on seafood. Although most of the restaurants were showy and over-priced, in one corner there was a pared-down joint that may not have been very pretty or clean, but had reasonable prices and food that probably tasted better than most of the other places. A plate of well-prepared sole, mashed potatoes, and two glasses of wine set me back about 8 dollars. I'd call that a deal. Also, I may or may not be notorious for claiming to be vegetarian and then eating fish a few times a year, especially in port cities. I always feel a little guilty about eating an animal, but if the fish is fresh, it's usually worth it (said with a malicious grin).

Walking along La Rambla.

My lunch came from there!

After lunch, I went walking around more, checking out little shops, museums, and street vendors downtown before heading back to the hostel to try Uruguayan mate (mah-tay) and getting ready to head back to the bus station. The yerba mate is one of the few things better in Montevideo than in Buenos Aires, which makes sense because (I'm pretty sure) the drink originated as a Uruguayan custom before moving across the border. The other ways it's better? It is so much cleaner! One of the first thoughts I had when I got to Montevideo was that Buenos Aires is so disgustingly dirty and I had gotten so used to it that I was surprised not to have to worry about dodging trash, cigarettes, and dog crap. Also, drivers actually let pedestrians cross the street. When a woman slowed down and signalled for me to cross, I wanted to run up to the car and hug her. The relative politeness can be transcribed to almost any social interaction. If I asked for directions or advice about getting around the city, I was greeted with a smile and helpfulness. Even girls my age were friendly. Aside from a few friends from my classes, the only girls in Buenos Aires that have ever been nice or even talked to me have been from other countries (mainly Brazil). It was so refreshing! The men in Montevideo also seemed a little different. Although the cat-calling is also a part of their culture, it was much more subtle and the things they said were much less douchebag-y than some of the things you'd hear on the streets in BsAs (i.e. Hola Bombon; No me vas a regalar una sonrisa/un beso?; Hola amor, que rica que sos!). There was only one time that I felt at all threatened, but in the end I think it was just an older drunk man trying to entertain himself.

I know that last paragraph pretty much bad-mouthed Buenos Aires, and although Montevideo was pleasant, it would have been boring had I been there much longer. The sun had just started to rise around 8 the next morning when the bus pulled into downtown Buenos Aires, and I felt like I was back "home" (a word that has become pretty transient for me). Even with all it's trash, horrible drivers, bitchy girls, and pretty-boy machistas, I love Buenos Aires, and would choose to spend five months here over Montevideo without a second thought. With less than two weeks left here, I'm getting excited to see everyone at home, but at the same time, it makes me sad to think about leaving. So, I just won't think about it until I'm on the plane.

Ashley - Something for your appetite...

I heard this story on the radio in a taxi the other day and had to share it. A woman in Buenos Aires was dating a man here for a few weeks, and on Monday she "disappeared". (Side note: people "disappear" here a lot. It's a pretty common euphemism). Well, on Friday her body was finally found. It wasn't much of a surprise that she had been killed. Apparently the man was wanted for other crimes as well. The twisted part of the story is where she was found: in a public water source. So, several people had been drinking, washing with, and bathing in water infested with microbiotics from her decaying body. A lovely thought, right?

Also, I was being silly the other day and didn't even mention that July 9 was Argentina's Independence Day. The celebration pretty much consisted of people going out and partying on the 8 because NOBODY worked on the holiday. It was like a ghost town. Only the Chinese-run markets were open!

It's been getting colder, but it's still really sunny and the skies are just as blue as in the summer, which explains the flag:


Well, I have to go write my last paper for history...If it's good enough I don't have to take that final! Pictures of my barrio will be coming up in the next blog! Chau!

Ashley - The end is near...Only three weeks left!

I think we are finally approaching weather that actually constitutes winter. It's supposed to cool off quite a bit in the upcoming weeks and it's been raining more the past several days as well. The thunder and lightning has even woken me up from my hibernation-type sleeping patterns several times. I generally like winter weather...but that usually means snow for me...and at least the possibility of skiing. When it's just wet and chilling, it's not quite as enjoyable...especially when everyone else is enjoying hot summer weather, going to the lake, and trying to cool off! Oh, August will be such a nice change of pace!

With the exception of a few more things I want to do/see, I think I'm (almost) ready to come home. The city is great and I could totally live here someday, but without having any kind of schedule or responsibility, I'm starting to get bored. There is always something "fun" to do, but I get the impression that it's out of the ordinary for girls to go out to bars or clubs without a boyfriend or at least some male companions. Humph. And the next time I hear, "well, women usually do/don't like this" I think I will scream. Also, I was talking to a guy one day and the theme came up that my apartment was messy. He looked at me and said, "It can't be, not with two women living together". SERIOUSLY? For a country that has elected a female president (even if she is Kirchner's wife), there are some serious issues with stereotypes about women and their role in society. A common joke between Joyce and I is that a woman's reason for doing anything (including being born) is to find a boyfriend/husband. I personally had the intention of finding a man to marry, moving to the Argentine countryside to be a full-time housewife, and start having children when I decided to study abroad. That's about the attitude here. Or maybe we just attract idiots. Who knows? Ahh, but enough of that. I can already hear my dad saying "See, aren't you glad to be an American?".

I have met some more interesting characters recently as well. Yesterday Joyce and I went to a boutique pretty close by and a middle-aged woman and a girl around our age were working there. They were SO interested in hearing about where we are from, what we're doing here, what we think about Argentina. The woman was asking me if I'm from Poland or Russia...In fact, I've never been targetted as an American. Even when a neighbor in the building came to our door one day when I was home alone, she assumed I was the Brazilian...But, aside from these two women in the shop, it seems like almost everyone I've met here is interested in hearing about the Argentine experience from a foreigners' perspective.

Another interesting character: our taxi driver last night. With the flu being pretty bad, we are avoiding the subte as much as possible. On our way home last night, we were going to take a picture in the back of the cab but I wanted to make sure the flash wouldn't bother the driver so I asked him first. He was a greasy older man and started saying, you can take a picture if you kiss each other and weird stuff like that. And then he continued to flirt the whole ride home, and asked for our numbers. Errr, no thanks...and, please, get a different job.

Today, we went to Alicia's birthday. Alicia is best friend's with the aunt of one of Joyce's friends from Brazil and they always invite us to do things with them. We were also a little out of place at her party (it seems like we're always a little out of place, haha). Joyce is 24 and I'd say there was at least a 20-year gap between her and the next youngest person. Despite that, we learned a lot of Argentine jokes...not all very appropriate, but all very funny. We had a good time, except that Alicia has a cat and Joyce and I are both allergic...hello itchy nose and watery eyes!

This is us showing the flu what's up/impersonating ducks (I'm not sure why there's so much extra space in the mask).


In one of many old-school elevators.

Ashley - Get me out of here!

Okay, so I'm not actually ready to leave South America, but it does seem like the most recent events have taken on a "glass half-empty" character.

First, the ATM's here have retained my debit card...twice. The first time it happened I didn't think much of it because I tried to withdraw from a distinct bank for convenience. But yesterday, I made the trip downtown to use the ATM's at the bank I've been using the whole time, and it happened again! It's a good thing I instinctively revert to English when using profanity, because I probably would have offended anyone understanding me when the little ticket printed reading "su tarjeta fue retenida". Because the bank itself was already closed, that means a trip down there today to get it back and hopefully get some money...I'm down to 15 pesos and I need to buy texts for my next test (on Monday, gah!). What was I thinking coming to Argentina for 5 months with nothing more than a Bank of America account?

Also, it seems I've stumbled upon a month of paper-writing and test-taking. It's not so bad, but I have no enthusiasm to write for my literature class; after the last paper I got back I stayed to talk to the teacher about it after class. Her main points for docking my grade were that "students don't use figurative language" and there were some instances where my word choice wasn't the best. And she knows Spanish is not my native language. I just have to pass though. But it still makes me cringe at the idea of turning in another paper to the same person who pointed out that it is strange for a biochemistry exchange student to take a literature class.

To finish ranting and leave my pessimism behind, the swine flu has hit Argentina, particularly Buenos Aires, probably due to the fact that it is "winter" here. There are around 1,500 cases in the country and 21 deaths so far (20 of which have occurred in the province of Buenos Aires). I don't understand how a developed country couldn't have been more prepared after seeing the outbreak in the northern hemisphere months ago. I'm not certain, but my guess is that most of the cases are spreading in the outskirts of the city, or at least that's what I'm telling myself.

In a note of interest related to the country, it seems some argentina has led to the political demise of South Carolina Governor Stanford...pretty scandalous. I really hope that whatever form of political punishment he receives is based on the fact that he disappeared without informing anyone rather than his relationship. It kind of reminds me of the question I've pondered about why the Clinton "scandal" received more publicity and meant more career problems for Bill than, say, the use of torture by the Bush administration...or the fact that he openly admitted making false statements about the entering Iraq...I could go on, but I think I'll step off the soapbox now.

In other news, my roommate's parents are here for the week. It's interesting because they speak to me in Portuguese and I reply in Spanish. There's a little communication barrier, but speaking slowly and the use of hand gestures fills the gap when Joyce's not around to translate. As much as I like the quiet nature of our apartment, it's nice to have a little more activity and a family-type setting around here. Although, it has made me miss my family a little more than normal.

I need to start taking more pictures again. I'll try to get on that since I've only got a month left here!

Just a general update on things going on here.

So, I thought maybe I was just being a baby about having cold water in the shower. Turns out, the water heater was totally destroyed and had to be replaced. It's much better now, but there were a few days in the process where the water was about the same temperature as Tahoe in May or early June (Brrrr!) which also meant that there were a few days when cleanliness was relative...

National legislative elections are coming up at the end of the month, so it's pretty impossible to leave the apartment without campaign ads/bulletins/propaganda getting shoved in your face. I want to wear a sign that says "I'm not from Argentina; I can't vote" to avoid it. In light of this, manifestations, protests, and paros (strikes that usually only last a day and are announced beforehand) have seemed to be more frequent.

About a week and a half ago, my 4-hour long history class got cut short (after only 1 hr) by a bomb threat at the school. When the security guard entered the classroom and told us that, my face must have shown the shock/panic I was feeling. My friends in the class laughed and quickly assured me that this happens all the time and that it just means that someone has to take or turn in an exam they aren't ready for. Wow. There's a cultural difference. I had to remind them that we've actually had serious cases of violence in schools in the United States. Apparently, here, they just make empty threats instead of faking sick.

The winter here seems to be really mild. I get asked all the time "Aren't you cold?" because everyone else is bundled up from head to toe, but I'm comfortable in just a sweater or light jacket. Also, standards of promiscuity change drastically with the weather. Or maybe the cat-calling just increases. I'm not sure. But I feel like if more than my hands and face are showing, way too much is showing...how can this be the same country as a few months ago? Then, some of the things other women would wear would be enough to make me blush, but weren't out of place for the argentinos. Now, I wear a dress with tights, and I feel like I'm in one of those dreams where you go to school naked.

We've got a pretty busy weekend ahead of us. Tomorrow, we're going to Recoleta to see the cemetery and some of the museums (because Joyce has never been!) and then to an artisan market in the afternoon that is here in the barrio. On Sunday, we're off to Tigre to go to an amusement park! Also, Tigre is supposed to have a more jungle-like environment, so it should be really pretty and a nice break from the enldessness of faded buildings and cracked sidewalks in the city. It should be good to have fun this weekend, because then, it's study time once again. Blah.

I miss you all!

GUEST BLOG- Miss Cindy Sue

So not even a week after departing Norman for the summer, I was off to Spain, accompanied by my faithful sidekick, Elix Mcgehee (jk). Spain was pretty much nothing of what I expected...A) because I have a twisted idea of all Spanish speaking countries from my time in Mexico and B) because I was too busy freaking out about finals and moving out and packing that I didn't have time to formulate expectations.
Elizabeth and I made our way to Zaragoza pretty smoothly, despite my first mistake. Almost my first chance to use Spanish with the locals, a lady asked me (i must have looked Spanish) how to use the buses, to which I responded ¨No sabes...NADA¨to expresses emphatically how I really didn't know anything. Then i was actually able to help her figure it out. Once on the way to Cara's apartment, I realized that translated into ¨You don´t know...ANYTHING¨. I was mortified.
Zaragoza is amazing...probably because Cara lives there, but also it has its own attributes, like beautiful architecture, statues abound, Roman ruins, and quaint plazas. Also a crazy night life which I was not prepared for but got acquainted with fast! It was basically like a huge hand had picked up Norman and placed it in Spain (with the exception of a few awesome people that were gravely missed). I couldn´t believe I was in Spain..and I made sure everyone knew it.
Hanging out in Zaragoza for four days was pretty awesome. I great way to start my summer, but probably not the best way to start my Spain experience. I´m in Alcala now, where i will be studying for 4 weeks, and things here just don´t hold up against my awesome time in Zaragoza and in Barcelona. Don´t get me started on Barcelona...it just might be my favorite place ever...for now. But of course, every new place I visit becomes my new favorite place. The day I spent solo in Barcelona was refreshing..I was able to rely on my spanish and my sense of direction to have a successful day and got to experience probably the craziest riot I could imagine when FC Barcelona won their championship game.
Since I've been in Alcala, I've made it out to Madrid to meet up with Lauren and Elizabeth before she flew home to Dallas. I also got to meet Jano...about time! Lauren and him are really good together and I´m super jealous lol. We saw parts of Madrid but I plan to acquaint myself more with the city. Its sad but I´m already counting down the days until my program is over so I can be back with friends and travel Europe with them!! Alcala is lame, everyone is taking ridiculous trips every weekend, and I live alone. (that's my only pity me sentence..be proud lol). Good thing I've got Don Quixote here to keep me busy.
Lots of love!!!
Cindy

Ashley- Church, politics, and sex.

Last night I accompanied Joyce to Mass at a Catholic church a few blocks away because I was curious to see what an Argentinian service was like. It was an interesting experience. I think it was very laid-back for a Catholic church. The priest played guitar and even told some jokes en his sermon, and I didn't get told that I couldn't commune because I'm not Catholic. And it was teeming with the most adorable young children. I may or may not have paid more attention to the kids than to the actual service. One thing I found very distinct was that they spent about twenty minutes discussing political issues, pretty much declaring the ruling government a crime against the common person, saying the country hadn't come to reach any of its goals in the past two centuries, etc. Whoa. If anything, I would have intuitively expected the church to keep its sentiments quiet or to side with the more conservative ruling government, but it seems like even the Catholics here are more supportive of some sort of socialism or communalism than the current trend. This could have to do with the fact that I live in one of the poorer barrios of the city; it seems like the people with the money are the only pro-Kirchner (Cristina or Nestor) groups...probably also the reason that Cristina won the last presidential elections. At any rate, it seems like there are so many anti-K groups that they must all be fragmented, leaving not a single one with enough support to single-handedly beat out kirchnerismo.

Leaving that digression behind, on the walk back from the church, I learned something very, eh, interesting. As we passed by an unmarked building with some funky-colored lights outside, Joyce asked me, "Do you know what that is?". "Not a clue". She continued to tell me that it was a playa privada (private beach), a building where (generally young) couples go and pay to have a room for a couple of hours so they can have sex. Like a cheap motel for a few hours instead of a whole night. I guess it sort of makes sense that they would exist here, because it seems like adults continue living with their parents well into their 20's, but it's still a highly frowned upon institution.

Semi-ironically, in the time that I've been writing this, Joyce and I have managed to start arguing about the rules, fundamentals, and other nuances of organized religion (mostly about the general restrictiveness of many religions). For me, the only function of those "rules" (i.e. Priests not being allowed to marry) is to taint the fact that pretty much everyone who believes in a deity or any kind of spiritual force probably could agree on a few basic moral principles, but instead have decided to give it a different name, create different absurd customs, and even start bloody wars in the said names. Apparently, my opinion is not a very popular one. For some, the labels matter more than the basics. At any rate, I think Buddha had the right idea.

Ashley- Following suit

I figured I'd continue the list-making trend our blog seems to be on right now.

Things I love about Buenos Aires:

1) The exchange rate! (Yesterday: US$1 = AR$3.74, which generally translates into everything [food, drink, clothing, entertainment] being cheaper)
2) Public transportation; when the subte is closed, there are colectivos (buses), and when those are too inconvenient, a taxi is always available and usually only costs around US$5 to get anywhere that you would want to go in the city.
3) The coffee experience. Even the simplest cafe con leche is served with a small glass of sparkling water, some sort of small cookie or biscuit, and sometimes even a shotglass of orange juice. Yum!
4) Fernet. Enough said.
5) Overall quality of the food and beverage (water is usually of the sparkling mineral variety, soda is made with natural sugar, and pizza and ice cream will just not be quite so appealing in the states...this all goes without mentioning the empanadas and dulce de leche).
6) Walk-ability of the city (have you ever tried walking on Lindsey St.? Not a fun thing to do).
7) Weather. It's usually sunny and the first placed I've ever lived without wind.
8) Enthusiasm of the students. They actually have interest in what they are studying.
9) Style
10) Presence of and interest in the arts. (Feria de arte contemporaneo this weekend!)
11) More cheap (and well-stocked) bookstores than any bookworm could ever dream of.
12) Genuine interest in the well-being of others.
13) Cheek-kisses in place of hand shakes. They only kiss on one side, and the gender doesn't matter. (I met an American the other day and we shook hands and it was the weirdest feeling ever. I was thinking, "why are you touching my hand?")
14) Heterogeneity of the city. It doesn't take long to find yourself in a barrio with a totally different atmosphere. It's like living in several mini-cities at once.
15) Appearance of boys!

Things that annoy me about Buenos Aires:
1) Actions of boys! (machismo is something I can live without....)
2) Lack of change...when you don't have change cashiers get upset, and sometimes they just don't have any change (coins or small bills) to give you.
3) Being a big city, it is kind of dirty. I just always feel like I need to take a shower, but there is a:
4) Lack of high-pressured, hot water in the showers. Gah!
5) Americans seem to be the only ones who like peanut butter (not even mentioning almond butter)...
6) The idea that all young single ladies must always be searching for a boyfriend...
7) Dead, carved-up animals hanging from windows all over the place. Yeah, that is really appetizing.
8) Washing clothes in the bathroom sink because the lavanderia dried the clothes you told them not to, causing them to shrink or de-thread.
9) Smoking as an anorexic's tool to not eating. Ever.
10) The preception guys have of American girls (roughly that which is projected by American Pie...you were right, Jimmy).
11) I'm not a supporter of imperialism, and I can agree that the U.S. has done some pretty unelegant things, but I will not agree that the nation's actions during the early XX century were "just as bad as Nazism"...and will not support that being taught in my history class. How does imperialism equate to ethnic cleansing?!
12) Most importantly, I don't have all of my lovely friends and family here!

Cara- O.M.G.!!! Cindy and Elizabeth are COMING!!!!! TOMORROW!!!

That's right Ashley, this time tomorrow, my two precious roomies (and Matt on sunday) and we'll be sipping Rioja in the Plaza España and fighting off the Guapos, left and right! I am so excited! (Btw, my roommates always make fun of me for saying "I'm so excited" when something good is about to happen. I've tried explaining to them that I'm relatively stoic for an American girl, but they think it's hilarious.)

In honor of my visitors, I've decided to write a little guide to getting around in Spain.

1. Stores, almost all of them, are closed between two and five while Spaniards go home to eat lunch and then "siesta" (nap.) I finish class at two, which is usually the time I'd run around and get some errands done, so instead I go home, make a big luch, and then fall asleep till 6 or 7, when most stores are then closed. Good for my bank account, bad for my wardrobe and, when I don't have any fruit, health.

2. Meals and meal times here are extremely different from the US, and I'm pretty sure everywhere in the world. Breakfast is around 8 or 9, often at a cafe, where you can get cafe con leche and a pastry, a cookie, or toast for about $1.75 USD. The coffee here is good too, and for some reason I actually like the coffee with sugar here, which I hate in the US. Lunch is during siesta hours, and most restaurants don't open for lunch till 1 or so and don't start filling up until 2:30, although most Spaniards go home to eat lunch with their families. Lunch is the big meal here, like dinner in the US. The whole family, and even extended family is expected to attend and it usualy consists of several dishes. That's probably why they need to nap afterwards. Dinner is a much more low key affair, sometimes just a bocadillo (sandwich on baguette) or some leftovers from lunch. However, they don't eat dinner until at least 10, often later. Tapas is a process that takes place during dinnertime. Basically, you go from one bar to another ordering little plates of food and a glass of wine or beer, or a diet coke, mmm. In Zaragoza, popular tapas are various sausages (salchichas), tortilla (a potato omellete, sometimes with ham, onions, asaparagus, or peppers), various canned seafoods (clams, scallops, anchovies) on toothpicks with pickles, onions, or banana peppers, croquetas which are fried balls of meat and fat in a bready coating, french fries, or little bocadillos. Not very healthy!

3. The gap between lunch and dinner can be a problem for me so I sometimes go to my favorite bakers, Pasteleria de los Mallorquines, and get a Hojaldre which is puff pastry wrapped around ham and swiss cheese. If I want a sweet I get a corneto, which is pretty much a dessert I would have dreamed up when I was a fat kid. It's an ice cream cone, covered in chocolate, filled with chocolate or plain wipped cream, covered in chocolate jimmies. mmmmm...

4. Chinese stores are your best friend! Chinese store is a monniker for any store sun by chinese people in Spain. They're either a convenience store, a grocery store, or a five and dime. They are open almost all.the.time. They are open when everything else is closed, they're cheap, and there is ALWAYS one close by in Zaragoza. In downtown Madrid not so much. But don't worry, there are chinese people on the street corners there selling beers, candies, and drinks for a euro.

5. Obviously, Spanish time runs pretty far behind what we're used to. That applies to bars and clubs as well. Bars close at 4 or so, and discotecas are open until 7! Right in time for the busses to start running again.

6. Spanish time also means, whatever time someone says they're going to meet you at time X, in Plaza A, expect them to not even leave their house till X+30 minutes. They also seem to be big lingerers. I've seen people sit at the same cafe by our hose for like 2 hours.

7. Besos is the popular form of greeting in Spain between two females or a male and female. Basically it's that pretentious cheek kissing thing actresses and losers do in the states. It has started to grow on me though. Men just shake hands with each other. Weirdly, hugs are my prefered form of greeting between friends (expect to have the wind knocked out of you, C&E) but are kind of considered too forward here or something. Being a hugger, my oxytocin levels have taken a hit.

8. Spanish men don't live up to the hype. That is all.

9. In Zaragoza, unlike Madrid and other more touristy cities, no one speaks English, especially the older people. Not even really the standard "Hello," "How are you," "I love you," or other broken phrases that Lauren and I got our fill of last weekend.

That's all I can think of for now, I just got back from Madrid and visiting Lauren with my roommates Andrej and Michael. Post on that later (with photos) later. I also wrote an art report on Lucian Freud, maybe I'll post that to show off my broken grammar and inconsistently gendered nouns.
There's going to be 6 americans in this flat this weekend, so it should be fun, I'm counting the seconds until my roommies get here!

Besos,
Cara

Ashley- The sun is shining again...

The cold weather from last week must have just been a front, because we're back to nice, early fall, fresh sunny weather. In any case, it's still pretty cool at night, but our landlord came over to turn on the heaters that hadn't been used in ages. Rather, he brought his son to turn them on. He should have known better; we are going to be breaking things all over the place from now on so that Alejandro (Sr. Ricardo's son) comes back to fix them. In Joyce's words, "Ay, su cuerpo, su cara, su sonrisa, aun sus dientes!". Too bad he's married. At any rate, our apartment (I always start to type department because the word here is departamento) is now a nice normal temperature.

On another bright note, I turned in my literature parcial (the extensive writing assignments that we have twice a semester that count for our whole grade save the final) yesterday. History was due last week, literature is now taken care of, and hopefully now I can start living a normal life again. At least I've made a pretty good friend in my history class (a local) who offered to revise and correct my paper, even for my other class. Yes! In the process of writing this assignment, I've pretty much fallen head-over-heels for Vicente Huidobro (Chilean poet who founded the avant-garde movement creacionismo), or at least for his writing. I highly recommend his work to any Spanish- or French-speaker (he lived in Paris for a good chunk of his writing career and published a lot of works in French first). For anyone who appreciates clever word-play and inventive use of the metaphor, he's definitely your guy.

Today I went to process my student visa. The DNM (Direccion Nacional de Migraciones) was about equitable to the DMV's inefficiency, but instead of old (often grumpy) ladies in frumpy sweaters, all the employees were young, and mostly of the attractive male variety. To be fair, actually getting through all the paperwork and waiting my turn in line wasn't too bad, but a couple other things made it take longer. Case A: I looked up the address to the building, Antartida 1355, and brought my map along with me. I found Antartida easily, but there are two sections of the street, one which is labeled with numbers on the street signs, and another which is not. Now, I would understand the address 1355 being in the un-numbered section if the numbered section didn't include all of the 1300's. However, this section was from 1000 to 1400, but 1355 did not fall among the addresses in this section (and actually falls before the 1000's even begin). Case B: I checked all the information my school sent me on what I needed for the tramite (visa), which included AR$200, which I had already set aside. Apparently, either the school made a mistake or the prices have recently changed because when I got there, I had to pay AR$300...and I had AR$280 in my wallet. Great. That meant another 30-minute subte trip back to my apartment to get the ATM card I had just pulled out of my wallet that morning (for security reasons), a trip to the bank, and back to the DNM where the employee with my information had just begun to process visas for a Chinese family with numbers exceeding digits on my fingers and a translator. At least there was a good view.

A couple other random things I wanted to share:

A few weeks ago when Joyce and I had gone out to a boliche (club), we left the club around 4:30, bored with the company, and realized we were hungry and had another hour and a half before the subte opened to take us home. So, we went to a pizzeria that was pretty busy (considering the time). First, we were entertained by a young guy who was there alone and had fallen asleep on the table, with a whole pizza right in front of him. This place was loud, and he was so far gone that he was snoring. Next, a group of scantily-clad, drunk American girls came in, nearly-yelling in English (but, to their credit, with a few Spanish words sprinkled in) and sat at the table right next to sleepy-head. They had a ball, trying to wake him up, poking his food in his face, and basically just not leaving the poor guy alone, all the while "blah-ing" the tune to popular Reggaeton music that they clearly didn't know the words to loudly enough for the whole restaurant to hear. All in all, they made me proud to be American.

I've learned of a cultural difference between Americans and Brazilians. Joyce was telling me the other day that oftentimes Brazilians will say that they don't care or that it doesn't matter when given a decision, but they nearly always do care, but it's considered impolite to say so (express one's opinion). As in, they say "yeah, that sounds good" if the proposed option is what they actually want and "I don't care" if it's not. Considering that about 90% of the time I'm given a choice between two things my response is "I don't care", and I sincerely don't, I finally realized why Joyce is so hesitant to believe me.

I realized that my time here is half-way over. That is depressing. I love Buenos Aires and am going to have a hard time coming back in August. It's a good thing that all you lovely people are there to motivate me to return; otherwise I'd probably end up finding some Argentinean to marry so I could stay.

As much as I love Buenos Aires, I'm still not a fan of men that could be my dad (or older) saying things right in my ear as they walk by me or greeting you in a mumble with the tone of the question so you don't understand and stop to say "what?" at which point the creepiness grows. I pretty much just ignore people on the street. I think that's what all the Argentinean women do, and why the men here seem to have the perception that they are stone-cold.

I've come to fit in more and more over time. People ask me for directions a lot on the street and I don't get harrassed by street vendors when I go downtown (they target tourists). I think I pass as a local until I open my mouth (inability to roll "R's" = obiviously not a native speaker). A lot of times, especially with guys, when they realize I'm from the U.S., they try to practice their (often very broken) English with me...That's kind of annoying. Maybe I'll start telling people I'm from Russia.

No class tomorrow! Hopefully I can get up and go to the MALBA (art museum) since it's free on Wednesdays. Woo-hoo!

Until next time...Besos! Chao!

Lauren-things I dont like about Madrid/Spain/miss

1. room temperature drinks
2. small drinks, i want to gulp down a drink and then make the ahhh sound. Impossible when you pay 2 euros for 50 ml and dont have free refills
3. quick trips to walgreens/target/walmart
4. NO DRYERSSSS
5. food selection in grocery stores
6. mexican food
7. small everything
8. shaving cream (not depilatory cream)
9. bathrooms with toilet seats, working lights, toilet paper, locks, hot water, soap and towels, it´s a lot to ask I know
10. campus life doesn´t exist here
11. drinking inside/at home/not at a bar or outside

YOU KNOW I LOVE YOU SPAIN!

Ashley- I live in a freezer.

Because I've been working on mid-term papers the past couple of weeks (my whole grade is based on two papers and a final exam in both classes), I don't have a whole lot of exciting news, so I guess I'll talk about the weather.

Just at the point that I thought it was never going to cool off, the weather turned on me, almost overnight. It's really not that cold outside; it feels more or less like that late fall crisp that makes your cheeks flush a little. It's a nice change of season. But, my apartment seems to insulate the cold. Seriously. We have a small heater, but it's not functioning. So, I'm sitting here in two pairs of pants, two pairs of socks, two shirts, and a jacket. Time to call the landlord. Uy, and my bed is right next to the big glass sliding doors that lead to the balcony, just about the coldest part of the house. Because of this, I've made a little nest of sorts out of sheets, two quilts, and a massive sleeping bag that I get lost in. If I didn't have incentive to get out of bed before, I definitely don't now. It's like I'm hibernating. Also, showering isn't a very fun thing to do anymore; our hot water is iffy and never actually gets hot enough to steam. I haven't taken a single shower with the cold water knob on at all. Due to all of this, our diets have consisted mostly of soup (which is good because it's cheap and delicious), tea, and coffee.

Let's see, what else...In the midst of all the tests, we were able to discover a really good brewery in walking distance from our apartment (and I obviously believe in study breaks...). We also ran across an empanaderia nearby that has like 60 flavors of empanadas for somewhere in the neighborhood of $0.70 each. I still haven't decided if that's a good thing or a bad thing. (Maybe good for my wallet but bad for my belly...?).

Well, my life has been rather boring lately, so I don't have much else to talk about unless anyone wants to discuss the development of capitalism and conformation of states in Latin America... I'll be sure to post again after getting back to the fun stuff.

Lauren-Futbol, Mexico, Valle

hey guys!!

two sundays ago i went to my first professional futbol game here! Atletico de Madrid v. Sporting in Vicente Calderon stadium. El atleti won 3-1, but apparently the game before they lost 5-1 to a pretty bad team and the fans were pretty upset, telling the owner to get out and the players that they dont deserve to wear those jerseys. One thing that sucks is that they dont really have like replays or announcers or anything (at least not in this stadium) and another thing is they don't serve alcohol! lame! but that's probably because of the crazy fans, the ultras, that travel to all of the teams games and have cheers, flags, noisemakers, and are standing the whole game, pretty much like a college football game. Of course the ultras from the other team are there and a fight usually breaks out at some point. The whole 90 min thing is nice though. I'm used to three and a half hour baseball games and 4 hour football games, so it seemed to fly by and its not something your day has to revolve around. Walking to the stadium it was just like going to a baseball game: people selling snacks and game gear and people drinking at the surrounding bars. The game is pretty much what you expect. They fall down all the time and spend more time on their hair than I do!

Then that Thursday night was a festival in Toledo called el valle which consists in all the young people going to a campground that overlooks Toledo (soooo beautiful at night) setting up tents and drinking until the next day. That was so fun! All of Janos friends from school and from Toledo were there so we had a bunch of people. However I had to get up and leave at 630 the next morning to get to the airport and go to Mexico!

First of all the swine flu is really inconvenient and I hate it. Other than that the trip was amazing! My cousin Buddy (Vince III) got married to his girlfriend of 8 years on the beach and it was really small, 20 guests and 6 in the wedding party. I got a manicure and a pedicure and two massages and some sun! Im kind of tanner/redder. It was sooo nice to see my family. Jimmy and I shared a room and it was just like old times! We had a lot of good drunken memories! At the reception they had a mariachi band and a donkey and its caretaker that carried around beer. My cousin Ryan (the grooms brother) also gave an amazing best man speech! I was tearung up!

Right now Im in the process of having to wear a facemask when Im with Jano..sucks...but Sunday is tennis and Im not wearing one.

Cara- Swine Flu at University of Zaragoza!!

Cara- These are a Few of My Favorite Things... About Spain!

1. Public Transportation
2. Ham
3. Cheap flights with Ryanair
4. Going to class Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday from 11-2
5. Living Downtown
6. Spanish little girls in dressed in cute sundresses instead of like Bratz dolls
7. Balconies with Geraniums
8. Coffee in the plaza beside the Seo
9. Catholic pageantry
10. Consistent weather patterns
11. Green Espadrilles
12. Fanta Naranja
13. The ice cream shop on Calle Alfonso
14. Deflation!
15. Markets instead of Grocery Stores

Ashley- Am I naive, or is everyone else just paranoid?

It has recently come to my attention that I am much braver than I thought. Or maybe just stupider (two attributes that can oftentimes be used interchangeably, depending on one's perspective).

So, I live about twenty blocks away from my school and up to this point have been walking to and from the facultad every time I've had class. Not a big deal, right? Especially because I always see other women walking alone (even in this area) at night. Okay, so my classes don't end until 11pm, but that's really not comparable to 11pm in Norman, Oklahoma or Reno, Nevada. People are still out at restaurants eating dinner or meeting up for drinks. Well, I also did not think it was a big deal until I was talking to a couple girls in my history class. They were asking me about where I lived and realized that the subte is closed by the time class gets out, so they asked which colectivo (bus) I used to get home. I said, oh, I just walk. The expressions on their faces said enough that I didn't need to hear their next words, but they didn't know that and continued to bewilderingly ask "And you haven't gotten attacked or robbed?!" Well, that made me pretty uneasy. To solidify my decision to stop walking home, the subject came up the next day with Joyce, my roommate. She didn't realize I had been walking back and proceeded to give me the "mom lecture" about why it's so dangerous, blah, blah, blah. Even though I don't think it's as dangerous as these girls think, I can admit that it's probably not as safe as I had convinced myself.

At any rate, I now use the bus to come back home at night. It's as much for my personal safety as it is to appease all the moms of the world.

Ashley- Brazilians in Buenos Aires

As you know by now, my roommate, Joyce, is from Brazil. I've decided it's time to outline a few of the reasons why living with a Brazilian has it's perks (and, yes, I realize this is a generalization based on my experience with one person):

1) I'll have a place to stay when I go to Carnaval, or for that matter, whenever I want to go see Brazil...

2) They learn Argentine Spanish in Brazil, which is very distinct. Her knowledge has helped me learn more of the slang that may have otherwise continued to confuse me...

3) Brazilian music is fun!

4) I'm learning how to dance La Samba.

5) They'll come up with endearing nicknames for you, like Yankee (although they pronounce it 'Shankee'). :)

6) When you go out with a Brazilian, everyone assumes that you are also from Brazil (preferred to being spotted as an American in South America).

7) Due to the language barrier, we are forced to speak Spanish in the apartment (all the time).

8) More open-mindedness.

9) Endless joking around...I think we are laughing with/at each other about 90% of the time.

10) We are both interested in learning about the culture here so we can go out and discover new things together; I'm afraid that an Argentinean would lack the desire to explore because it would not be so novel for them.


Okay, so aside from everything going well with my living situation, it seems like there are a TON of Brazilians here. In fact, last night we went to a party for another student at La UBA from Brazil...and Brazilians outnumbered Argentineans. We were excited to go out, but it ended up being little bit of a disappointment. Nobody talked to anyone except for the people they came with, which makes me wonder why they even bothered to leave the house. Also, a lot of the people spoke in Portuguese for most of the night, which made it more difficult for some of us (i.e. me and the handful of Argentineans present) to understand. Joyce and I left pretty early (3-ish) and she was even complaining that the people were annoying for speaking Portuguese in Argentina and that the conversation was dull anyway. I think the antisocial factor of this party was somewhat of an anomaly, but it has put us off from going to house parties here...the boliches (clubs) are definitely more suitable for meeting people (although the guys there seem to think that agreeing to dance also serves as acquiescence to making out...they just try to kiss you like two minutes after meeting you, without warning. Can't dancing just be dancing?). We need something somewhere between these extremes for the weekends. One good thing that came out of the party last night is that we learned that we live about 4 blocks away from "the best bar in Buenos Aires," so we might have to check that out. Maybe it will be a good alternative for us.

A brief digression on the attitude toward vegetarianism here: People think I'm crazy, or they sincerely don't understand the ideology of abstaining from carnivorous eating habits. I've heard responses along the lines of "you can't get married if you're vegetarian" (jokingly, I think) and "it's just a little bit of meat," and even the flat-out "WHY?!". It doesn't really bother me. I understand that it is just a cultural difference in attitude, but sometimes I get tired of defending myself (in a language that is not my native tongue, nonetheless) to people who aren't going to understand or who will always have a retort as to why I should eat meat here. It would be nice if they could think of it in terms of having more meat for themselves rather than trying to convince just to have some. A little tolerance, people!

Well, it's 5:00 here and I'm still in pajamas, so I should probably go do something more productive than praising Brazilians and ranting about intolerant meat-eaters.

Chao!

Ashley- It's like I'm on vacation!

In case you are out of the loop, my friend, Deanna (from OU), has been studying in Quito, Ecuador this semester and was able to come visit me last week. It was such a nice change of pace to re-discover the city (even all it's tourist attractions). We crammed a whole lot into 4-1/2 days, but I think Deanna was able to get a pretty good feel for the city, and I had an excuse to go see/do some of the things that I had still been missing out on.

The first day that we actually went out and about we fit in the barrios San Nicolas, Montserrat, San Telmo, Boca, and Puerto Madero. Whew! San Nicolas and Montserrat are usually referred to as the centro, which is where I stayed when I was in the hostel. Most of the governmental buildings/offices are located here, as well as TONS of international people and galerias (malls). There are also a lot of beautiful cathedrals in the area, including La Iglesia San Ignacio, the oldest church in the city. We happened upon El Museo de La Ciudad (Museum of the City), which I thought might be interesting. It was free so we decided to take a gander--let's just say it's a good thing that it was free. Rather than learning about the history of the city and it's people, we saw random collections of toys, fans, doors, and advertisements from the 50's and 60's. Unless you have an obsession with any of these things, I do not recommend this museum to anybody traveling to BA. After that, we passed through La Manzana Franciscana and an antiquated pharmacy that has kept it's original decor before heading on to San Telmo. In San Telmo (el barrio viejo), we passed by a lot of small boutiques and a plethora of antique stores. If you're in the market for antiques, this is the place to come. I was bummed that Deanna wasn't here on a Sunday because there is a huge (and fairly well-known) open-air antique/crafts market in the main plaza in San Telmo on Sundays that can be quite an experience. However, she was able to see the National History Museum, which still wasn't totally impressive in it's exhibits, but was much more enjoyable than El Museo de la Ciudad. After that, we continued on to La Boca, home to many Italians, Boca Juniors' Stadium, El Caminito (where all the colorful corrugated buildings are), and lots of tourists. I definitely wouldn't want to spend every day there because the people practically taking your hand to get you to go into their store/restaurant can be exhausting, but it is a fun place to go see. We stopped for dinner where I discovered a delicious amber lager made in Patagonia (and later found in the supermarket...woo!). After that, we headed back to Puerto Madero and strolled around on the docks for a little while before stopping at Havanna for a coffee and an alfajor (at which point Deanna exclaimed that Argentina is delicious). Finally, we headed back to my apartment and rested our tired little feet. What a full day!

Puente de la Mujer in Puerto Madero

The next day we went through Retiro and Recoleta, which are a little bit more upscale. In Plaza San Martin in Retiro there was a big exhibit by the UN called Buddy Bears. Essentially, there was a (ceramic?) bear decorated by an artist from each nation recognized by the UN. We also went to the Klemm Foundation, which was a museum that housed a lot of contemporary art (even some Warhols!). It was interesting, but the further into the museum we got, the stranger the flavor of art. After that, we headed to Recoleta and spent some time in El Cementario. It was kind of neat that there was a memorial to Alfonsin, since I was hear when his death was in the news. We also strolled through Buenos Aires Design, a mall devoted to home decor, and joked that now I know where to go to decorate my house when I decide to move here for good (just joking, Mom and Dad...kind of). After that, we went to El Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, which was awesome. There was a lot of European and Latin American art from the Fifteenth Century on. I was (happily) surprised at the amount of works by Rodin and Degas, although I would have liked to see more Van Gogh. The best part about this museum is that it was F-R-E-E. Love it. We left just in time to make it to the Flor Generico as it was closing up, a huge metallic sculpture of a flower erected in a big green park that opens in the morning and closes at sunset. It was done by an Argentine artist and is supposed to represent all flowers. Ahhh, so pretty. By that point we were both pretty hungry and there was a Hard Rock right around the corner...I was a little embarassed to tell the waiter that we were American when he asked (Americans eating American food...gah). He didn't seem to mind though. He even pulled up a chair to sit and talk with us for a while when he didn't have any other customers. South American men...

El Flor Generico

The next day we finally made it to Palermo, a huge, park-filled barrio that is one of the prettiest parts of the city. We spent a lot of time just walking around and enjoying the nice weather. We did make it to the MALBA (Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires), which houses Latin American art, most of which is more contemporary. There was even a Frida Kahlo (one of my faves). Later I found out that the MALBA is free on Wednesdays, and because there is so much to see there, I may have to head back there one of these days. And lucky me, I don't have class on Wednesday. After spending a couple hours in the museum, we walked around Palermo more before heading back towards (and beyond) Puerto Madero to go to La Reserva Ecologica. I love going there because you can get to the shoreline of the Rio de la Plata, which is pretty even if the water isn't very clear. That night, we met up with my roommate and walked around El Centro more to do some shopping from the street vendors (I just can't seem to convince myself that I have enough scarves...).

Shoreline of Rio de la Plata

View of Puerto Madero from La Reserva at sunset.

Sitting on the colectivo after a few very tiring days.

Sadly, Deanna had to leave the next day, but I had so much fun while she was here! Since then, I've been sleeping a lot (ahh) and avoiding studying. Hmmm, maybe I should change that...or not.

Cara- the Return to Cadiz!

For about a half a week, from the 8th to the 13th I was alone without a euro to my name in Zaragoza. I expected life without roommates to be a drag but it was actually really nice to hang out on my own, and since I live downtown and it was Easter, there was always fun stuff to go see and places to hang out. And I could walk around in my underwear, sleep whenever, and eat all the time. Eventually, this got kinda boring though and I felt pretty lame since everyone I knew was out having awesome adventures, so I decided to go visit the Rodriguezes in San Fernando, a smaller town outside of Cadiz, on the atlantic side of Andalucia in Southern Spain.

I NEED one of these dresses!

Andalucia is famous for their white washed villages, flamenco dancers, ferias, and beaches. It's also full of retired Germans. It's the Florida of Europe. I went in to Cadiz on the train on Thursday to wander around. I walked around for about 5 hours just looking around. It's a really beautiful city, I wish I had brought my swimsuit but I probably would have gotten painfully burnt... so maybe its better that I didn't.

The accent in Andalucia is almost inpenetrable sometime, but I got used to it after the first few days, I just wish I could have stayed longer. I rarely get the chance to talk to real Spaniards
To get back to Zaragoza, I took the night train. It had beds and a restaurant car and everything, I felt like I was in an Agatha Christie novel or something. Very Romantic.
So now I'm back in school, it's the same old same old. But the weather's finally getting pretty in Zaragoza. Maelle is still traveling so I pretty much live on her balcony, it's so nice! Also, I got my debit card in the mail, so I should go get my camera back soon! More pictures!

Lauren- Ice Cream and Surprises!!!

I just realized hhow sad my life is. The main point of this post is to tell you about how we created our own dessert at Vips and it was amazinggg!!!!!!!!

ALSO!! I just did something reallyy reallly exciting today, but I can't tell you yet because Jano doesn't know about it! shhh..

ALSO! I thought it might be fun if you guys wanted to figure out abbreviations! That's always fun right~

pte.
Co.
Ftd.
Hnos.
Ctra.
Bo.
C/
Gta.













puente
camino
facultad
hermanos
carretera
barrio
calle
glorieta

Ashley- Apartment pics

Living Room

Our awesome blue-tiled kitchen

All the tile and ceramic in the bathroom is lavender...

For now, the spare bedroom...hopefully we can find another roommate soon.

My room!

Yeah, we've got a balcony. Here are some pics taken from it:

I was trying to remember whether this was taken at sunrise or sunset, which was silly because a) it's facing the west
b) I'm never awake at sunrise unless it is from the night before.

I knew I had forgotten a lot of stuff the other day...

Ashley- Health, hippies, and heartbreak

Some random things:

I had my first experience with health care in Argentina today. Of course right after I received an e-mail warning about the spread of Dengue Fever in the area, I started to get sick. I've been waking up in the middle of the night with a really bad fever and have had inflammation in my throat/neck that has prevented me from turning my head without turning my torso accompanied but the sorest of sore throats... Well, I went to the hospital today and was amazed at the ease of use and efficiency of health care here. For starters, it only cost around US$30 for treatment with absolutely no insurance coverage. Furthermore, I registered, paid, sat in the waiting room, saw the doctor, and walked out of the hospital, prescriptions in hand within 35 minutes! (I thought it was a little strange that even the doctor gives the customary cheek kiss to germ-ridden patients). Then at the pharmacy, they didn't need any of my personal information; upon presenting the scripts, the pharmacist just pulled the corresponding medicine off the shelf and I was on my way. Anyway, it turned out to be a nasty little bacterial infection, but at least that means antibiotics will get rid of it.

On a happier note, Deanna got to Buenos Aires this morning! It's great fun having someone to show around the city. We didn't get around too much today, but we spent a little time in el centro and then she came to my classes with me this evening. I get the feeling that my university is very different from the school she's attending in Quito. She commented on how political it is; the sea of colored butcher paper with propaganda for various political parties and student affiliates is pretty unique. She also reminded me that it's pretty unusual for kids to come into classrooms trying to sell things for small change...during class. She also noted that a lot of people dress like hippies here. It should be a fun week of roaming around the city and hopefully discovering more of its nooks and crannies.

I realized that I lied to a certain extent when I said that I haven't eaten any meat here. One day a couple weeks ago I was eating at one of many parillas (grills) in the city with my roommate. As I was thouroughly enjoying my baked (or grilled?) potato, I came across something of a chewy nature...too chewy for a potato. Not only had I somehow gotten a good-sized chunk of meat in my food, but it was an organ of some sort. GROSS. Even if I was a whole-hearted carnivore, I'd skip out on the unappetizing, too-tough-to-masticate innards of any animal. If that little passing wasn't enough to assure me that I can live without trying Argentina's world-renowned carne, I had another encounter to turn me off for good. I was walking home from the subte station one day and the delivery truck to the nearest carneceria (butchery) had just pulled up to the street. When I happened to be passing by, two men walked out of the truck carrying a long rack strung with cows split in half lengthwise. All of the features of a cow were identifiable (musculature, ribs, face, etc.). Nausea and sadness followed. Pobrecitas vacas.

I think that's a good image to leave you with. That's all for now, folks.

Ashley- Because I haven't had internet for two weeks...

Prepare yourselves for rambling, because I realize I haven't posted in a long time and a lot has happened since then! Apparently, the internet cafes here won't load www.adiosnoman.blogspot.com.

Most importantly, I finally moved into my apartment! In the past couple weeks I've gone from a hostel, to Jeff's apartment (the other student from OU), and finally to my own apartment! I live with another (female) student from Brazil named Joyce and we are getting along grandly. We were supposed to live with another girl (from Peru) as well, but she bailed on us at the last minute, so we're in the process of finding another roommate. We finally got internet yesterday, but Windows Vista is prickly and refuses to recognize the modem, so I've got to use Joyce's computer for now. I am under the impression that I just need to download some stuff (vague, I know) from Windows and upload it onto my computer, but haven't gotten around to it yet. Last night we had some people over for dinner, which was fun, but we lacked sufficient seating and dishes. However, everyone ended up full and happy, so it must have been a successful soiree! Although we are so excited to be in our apartment, it hasn't kept us from going out! We've been to several different discos in the city, which has translated into staying out until the sun is up and then sleeping all day on the weekends.

I still haven't gotten quite into the swing of things with classes because about half of mine have fallen on various holidays up to this point. I've had a TON of reading to do (and all in Spanish, of course), which has taken up more time than I would like, but it continues to become easier and easier to comprehend and read more quickly. My literature class is all about Las Vanguardias (the avante-garde movement in Latin America in the 1920's and 1930's more or less) and is pretty interesting, but it seems that history is the major of choice for all the guapos (which provides motivation to go to that class...).

Today we left the city to spend Pascuas (Easter) at Joyce's friend's mom's house in Caseros, a town about 20 kilometers outside the capital. It was nice to spend a day with friendly and intelligent women. I learned more about why there are such strong anti-government sentiments here (basically, they use power/money to force alliances). The subject came up because former President Alfonsin recently died. During his life he had less than a 20% approval rating, but has been elevated to saint-like status since his death. It's pretty interesting how people find it so much harder to talk about a person's faults after his/her death. On a tangent of this conversation, I learned more about Argentina's history. According to these women, peronism in it's true form died with Peron. Apparently he was the only one capable of running a "bipartisan" government (there are left- and right-wing peronist sectors which has resulted in a deep political divide here). Another really interesting note: these women are in their 40's or 50's and therefore were alive during the "Guerra Sucia" when pretty much anybody who did not show support for the government "disappeared," or rather was murdered by a very militant government. They actually knew some desaparecidos...I can't imagine living in such a restrictive society. It also seems like Menem was a pretty interesting president; he was able to keep the peso to dollar ration at about 1:1 and has been the only person able to do it thus far.

Besides chatting it up about the nation's leaders, past and present, we ate...a lot. They were all so worried when they found out I am vegetarian, but I don't know why. There were more different varieties of vegetable dishes and salads than I've seen in one place in a long time (how glorious)! And for any of you who might be curious, I still have not eaten meat here (I guess you really don't have to down here!). Speaking of cuisine, I feel like I've finally tried enough of the local specialties to write about them. Of course there are empanadas, a savory pastry with one of many different fillings. Most of them incorporate meat (especially ham) but there some veg-friendly options as well. My favorite so far has been humitas (a filling made of corn and some type of cream). There is also a lot of freakin' good (and CHEAP) Italian food here! Although it's hard to find a bad meal here, there is quite a lack of spicy food (of any kind). C'est la vie. On the dessert front, dulce de leche is a staple. It is incorporated into many desserts, and sometimes even eaten alone. One of the more common things to find it in is the alfajor, which is best described by two layers of something that lies between the texture of a cookie and cake, filled with dulce de leche and covered in either chocolate or meringue (So yummy!).

Perhaps more distinct than the food here are the drinks. Sparkling mineral water replaces tap water, which is nice except means always paying for your drink in a restaurant. Also, there is a drink called Terma, which is hard to explain, but here's a shot at it: a very strongly-flavored and slightly bitter non-alcoholic drink that is infused with a variety of herbs and drunk with sparkling water. Of course maté is every where, and I've become quite addicted. It's most similar to a bitter, loose-leaf tea (but it doesn't contain caffeine-it has a different chemical with similar effects but is more mild) that is drunk out of a small gourd-like cup through a metal "straw" that has several small holes in it. Argentinians are very picky about the temperature of water that is added to maté; it should be just on the verge of boiling, but not quite that hot. If it's too cold it doesn't taste right and if it's too hot it ruins the yerba maté. Another distinct drinking habit here is the (copious) consumption of fernet, an aromatic spirit that has a VERY strong and bitter flavor. It's most often mixed with Coke (and even then the drink isn't really sweet at all). I thought it was a bit too strong at first, but have since become quite the aficionada.

On a slightly less thrilling note, there have been some cases of Dengue Fever (a virus spread by mosquitoes with no vaccine) in the area outside of the city. It can take a mild form or result in deadly hemorrhages...woo-hoo. Bug repellent may not have the most feminine scent, but I think it will be a good friend for a while.

Speaking of good friends, on Tuesday Deanna is coming here from Ecuador (technically from Peru, but she is studying in Quito)! I'm excited to have a reason to do more sight-seeing in the city and surrounding area! I think I've fallen into the "I'm living here" mode and haven't been doing as much exploring as I should be doing. This should provide a good fix for that.

I know that I have forgotten to include some things, but I can't think of anything else too newsworthy at the moment. Until next time!

Lauren-Semana Santa

half of april has gone whizzing by!

the Friday before semana santa we didnt have class and that day we went to eat lunch at Jano's other grandma's house so that we could get the key to the house in Asturias and so that I could meet her. She's the typical grandma who says that you don't eat enough and gives you old gossip magazines to read.

Then we went to the teleferico which I'm not sure what it's called in English, like a sky tram or whatever, to see the city from above. That was cool!! Then after that we went to the Prado and we ended up getting in free on accident because from 6-8 its free! Then my contacts started being quite bothersome so we decided not to go out to dinner. :( That night we ordered pizza at home.

Then Saturday we went to Toledo and went out with his friends on Saturday night. I have introduced Cannonball and Tourettes so far and they have really taken to both of them, except they are a lot more dramatic with tourettes, taking like 5 seconds before they flip over the card.

Sunday we watched Mia Sara a Spanish movie that was kind of weird but really cute!

Monday we went to Madrid to go shopping for dresses for the wedding with Jano's cousin Paula. I ended up buying two dresses in Zara, but I'm having second thoughts about one of them and I saw one by Penelope and Monica Cruz in a store (I don't know anything about their clothes or if they're any good or not) but I liked that dress so maybe I'll buy that one instead. Who knows!?

Then Tuesday we drove to Asturias. The typical trip that should last 5 hours that lasts 7, and we were supposed to leave at 11 and we left at 1230. me and Jano were in our own car so that was fun except that his ipod cord thing is broken and we were driving through the mountains so half the time we had nothing, opera, or conservative talk shows. Asturias is so pretty though! There are snowy mountains with green pastures and valleys, and little towns where people have cows and chickens and goats that stand on like 70 degree slopes! WOW!

Then we got to the house, which has the beach right at the end of the street on the Mar Cantabrico. The whole town is really into fishing. The house, however, is meant to be used in summer and therefore does not have any heat. so we froze our little buns off until we found a little heater that we rotated from room to room. We stayed in Jano's grandma's house with Alba, Jano's sister and 4 of her friends. Tuesday we just got there and stayed up drinking and playing cards.

Wednesday we went out with Jano's parents who were staying with Jano's dad's cousin, Juan and his family. We went to a lookout to see the ocean and we took pictures! i'll show you later! then we went to a beach (the water is really cold) and then we went to a little town which is really pretty with little colored houses and fish markets in the streets and we had sidra (apple cider with alcohol in it). They have to pour it from like 2 feet above the glass the that it mixes whatever is in it when it hits the glass! I really liked it!

This week I had
clam
oysters
something else that comes in the typical seashell that comes on the beach
crab
sting ray
large shrimp
percebes (i dont know what these are in english)
2 other kinds of fish
chipirones (i dont know what this is in english either, but its like calamari)
calamari
I don't know what else!

After lunch we tried to see the Eucalypton (a really big eucalyptus tree), but we couldn't get to it because the road was blocked off due to construction. That night we went to eat dinner at Jano's dad's cousin's house. They made fish and pizza! The mom is an English teacher!

Thursday we stayed in. Jano made wonderful pasta for lunch. We watched the first half of Viva Cuba, took a nap and then studied the rest of the afternoon until dinner. We went out to dinner and ordered croquetas, chorizo a la sidra, patatas with 3 sauces (patatas cabrales is a specialty of Asturias) and calamari. Then we took a very short walk to the ocean and went home. We drank and played cards a little bit with alba and her friends but they were all tired and went to bed early (losers).

Friday we went to Juan and Alicias for lunch. Paella with a bunch of fishes and stuff. Then Jano watched Gladiator and I took a napped (we both soaked up the heat of their house before going back to our icebox) When we got home we finished Viva Cuba and then had salad for dinner. That night we drank and played cards again.

This morning we got up at 930 to pack everything up and were on the road by 1030. Jano and I stopped in Valladolid on the way home to eat lunch with a friend he has who lives there, Mario. We at pizza with him and then were off to Madrid, arriving around 530. We took a short nap at his tia sole's house then, today is her birthday, so at 8 she had the fam and friends over. We stayed to celebrate for like an hour, mostly setting out plates of food for her, then Jano went to Toledo, and I came to emi's house because I really need to hit the books tomorrow! and wash my clothes!

Cara- I got up at 4:30 today

After going to bed at a reasonable hour, around 10, (which is unspeakably early for Spaniards) I was awoken by drums in the street. It's holy week in Spain, so everyday there are at least 5 processions around the city. Since I live downtown there's usually several in my neighborhood, so I've seen about 3 or so a day. Normally they run from about 10-1 ish, which is immediately after dinner in Spain. Usually there's a large float with a figure of Jesus in some stage of holy week (carrying the cross, receiving the crown of thorns etc) or the virgin Mary in some ridiculously inaccurate renaissance costume. The float is carried and surrounded by a large group of people wearing KKK-esque hats who all belong to the same Catholic brotherhood, the brotherhoods being up to 700 years old.
Some of them are playing drums and trumpets. That's nice during the day because it makes them easy to locate, but at 4:30 am? So I got out of bed to see what was this clatter, and this procession was a little different from the others. To start, they weren't wearing hats or covering their faces at all. Also, I was one of about 5 spectators. Normally the streets around the processions are packed with families watching, even after one. I followed for about an hour, which was a good idea because I got to see some plazas and streets around my neighborhood I didn't even realize existed. Obviously, now my plans for the days events are somewhat altered since I'm still awake at 6 am. I was thinking I'd shower, wait for my hair to dry, then go get a coffee, walk to the police station to see if anyone's turned in my card (yeah, I lost it), maybe go to a mass, buy some fish for dinner tonight (it is good friday ya know), go to the bus station and buy some tickets for Cadiz on monday, and then lunch and siesta! Should be a full day.