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!
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