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.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Thursday, May 21, 2009
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!
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!
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
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
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
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
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!
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!
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!
Thursday, May 14, 2009
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.
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.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
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.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Sunday, May 3, 2009
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
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
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