Hello!
Another great week here in Buenos Aires! I'm finally getting all the pieces of my schedule to fall into place, and am really starting to feel like I'm living here as opposed to just visiting. Here's a few of this weeks highlights...
Saturday was the Argentina vs. Brazil qualifier game for the World Cup. Nearly to say, the whole city was buzzing with excitement all day. We found a cool sports bar to watch the game in, which was absolutely packed. Everyone was intensely into the game, and lots of them were wearing flags draped around their shoulders. We spent most of the time singing, yelling at the group of Brazilian fans and pounding on the tables. Even though Argentina lost, I had a great time.
On Monday, we went to a play called El Vampiro. It was a very small, independent production- the only reason we knew about it was that one of my American friends knows one of the Argentines who acted in the play. Even though I didn't quite understand everything, it was very interesting to go experience an alternative side of Buenos Aires culture.
Tuesday night we went for tango lessons at this really cool place called La Catedral. It looks like nothing from the outside but inside looks like a giant converted barn covered in cool artwork. After our lessons, we hung out and watched a lot of the Argentines dance tango (they're really good so it's basically like going to a show). At about 2 o'clock in the morning, a group of tango musicians came in so the dancing stopped and they performed in the middle of the dance floor. Everyone sat around on the floor, sipping on wine and listening to the beautiful guitar. It really made me feel like I was in the real Buenos Aires.
I finally made it over to the Recoleta Cemetary, which is full of the Argentine rich and famous. It's enormous and full of beautiful family tombs- we wondered around for a few hours and I definitely would have been happy to stay a few more. The most famous tomb is Evita's, which is still to this day covered in fresh flowers brought in by visitors. We saw a funeral procession coming in as we were leaving, which really put the whole thing a bit more into perspective. Although it's an awesome place, it's kind of strange that a cemetery is such a touristy place.
I'm starting to understand more and more in my classes (probably due to the fact that I now have tutors for both history and politics). In politics class, we discussed populism and the patterns of economic reform in different Latin American countries. For history, we're still focusing on the Mexican Revolution. However, both classes often drift towards the role of the US in Latin American politics. What the students and teachers have to say about the US is usually quite harsh. I'm tempted to join in, but it's kind of hard to defend a lot of the actions of the US government in Latin America. The resentment of US foreign policy here is pretty overwhelming- I've heard several people say that they think the US was involved with the coup in Honduras and there are almost weekly protests of the US construction of military bases in Colombia. Although it's kind of discouraging for me that they distrust and dislike the American government so much, I've been given an incredible opportunity to learn about the roots and manifestations of this distrust from a first-hand perspective.
Finally, I started my internship with Help Argentina yesterday. My first project is to translate different grantee profiles from Spanish to English. It's hard work, but really good practice for my Spanish and a good way to learn more about what different organizations are doing. I'll be working there 8 hours a week. The people there are really cool- I'm looking forward to getting to know them all better.
That's all for this week. Buenos Aires has been treating me great- I continue to find cool cafes, restaurants and parks everywhere I go. Tonight, I leave for Mendoza and then next week I'm off to Jujuy. I hope you are all well and I send all my love!
Photos from Recoleta and a couple random ones from the game
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
School in Buenos Aires (August 20-September 2)
The past couple weeks I've stayed here in Buenos Aires, settling into a schedule with classes and doing various things about the city. I'm in class about 16 hours a week, and when I start my internship (which will hopefully be with Help Argentina) that will be another eight hours. Homework has been taking up a pretty decent amount of my time (the two direct enrollment classes have a lot of reading, which takes me about 3 times longer that reading normally does since it's in Spanish), but it's so far been interesting stuff. Here's a few highlights:
August is the International Tango Fair in Buenos Aires, and all of the events are free so we decided to go see a show. The show was at this cool old theater called Teatro 25 de Mayo, and we got there early in the morning to wait in line for tickets. We went back that night for the show, which was absolutely incredible. Tango is a really beautiful dance, and these were some of the best dancers in the world. I definitely plan on trying to see more tango before I leave. After the show, we went to a delicious dinner at a Peruvian restaurant, and then to an Argentine ice cream shop (Argentine ice cream is the best I've ever had).
Today, I had a free afternoon so I went to see some museums. First, I went to the Evita Peron museum. It was full of movies, information and various artifacts- such as many of her outfits. It was a really cool experience- Evita is still a very popular figure here (her face is used in a similar way to Che's) and it was an eye-opening experience to see how they portray her. The museum was definitely bordering on propaganda in terms of glorifying Evita- there was no mention of any flaws or failures. After the Evita museum, I walked through some of Palermo's beautiful parks to the Latin American Mueseum of Art in Buenos Aires (MALBA). It's a cool modern building with a great collection of art, including some really big names like Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, Xul Solar, David Siquieros and Wilfredo Lam.
I've joined a soccer club through my study abroad program. We meet once a week for games, a group of American students and different Argentine people. Afterwards, we hang out and drink a few beers. In a few weeks, we're going to go to an Argentine soccer game, which should be very fun in an absolutely crazy kind of way.
The night life here has continued to be incredible. We've continued to find different bars, restaurants and clubs that are all very fun. The entire country seems to be on a different schedule. The other night we were walking home at about 3:00 am and saw about 20 middle aged business people having a meeting in a restaurant. It's not unusual to see full families, including kids as young as two or three years old, walking around at 1 in the morning. It's definitely a city that never sleeps.
Classes are going great. I really love my politics class. The UBA building it's in is pretty crazy in terms of socialist grafittis- there's a huge sign in front of one of my classrooms that says "Yankee get out of South America," which is a bit intimidating. We're now studying history so that we have a background of Latin American political history before we start with current political events. History class is really interesting too. We're now studying the Mexican Revolution, which I've already studied, but studying it in a completely different way than I learned it in the US. Here, the class is much more focused on the mobilization of the masses and the difference economic relationships between classes (not exac
tly surprising). I'm slowly starting to absorb more and more of the Spanish. For my service learning class, I had an interview with Help Argentina on Monday and I should hopefully hear back from them soon.
Other fun things- ordering in ice cream and empanadas to the apartment, finding good cafes to study with a cafe con leche, and finally getting my student visa!
I hope everyone's well and please send emails updating me on how you all are!
Love, Melanie
PICTURES
August is the International Tango Fair in Buenos Aires, and all of the events are free so we decided to go see a show. The show was at this cool old theater called Teatro 25 de Mayo, and we got there early in the morning to wait in line for tickets. We went back that night for the show, which was absolutely incredible. Tango is a really beautiful dance, and these were some of the best dancers in the world. I definitely plan on trying to see more tango before I leave. After the show, we went to a delicious dinner at a Peruvian restaurant, and then to an Argentine ice cream shop (Argentine ice cream is the best I've ever had).
Today, I had a free afternoon so I went to see some museums. First, I went to the Evita Peron museum. It was full of movies, information and various artifacts- such as many of her outfits. It was a really cool experience- Evita is still a very popular figure here (her face is used in a similar way to Che's) and it was an eye-opening experience to see how they portray her. The museum was definitely bordering on propaganda in terms of glorifying Evita- there was no mention of any flaws or failures. After the Evita museum, I walked through some of Palermo's beautiful parks to the Latin American Mueseum of Art in Buenos Aires (MALBA). It's a cool modern building with a great collection of art, including some really big names like Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, Xul Solar, David Siquieros and Wilfredo Lam.
I've joined a soccer club through my study abroad program. We meet once a week for games, a group of American students and different Argentine people. Afterwards, we hang out and drink a few beers. In a few weeks, we're going to go to an Argentine soccer game, which should be very fun in an absolutely crazy kind of way.
The night life here has continued to be incredible. We've continued to find different bars, restaurants and clubs that are all very fun. The entire country seems to be on a different schedule. The other night we were walking home at about 3:00 am and saw about 20 middle aged business people having a meeting in a restaurant. It's not unusual to see full families, including kids as young as two or three years old, walking around at 1 in the morning. It's definitely a city that never sleeps.
Classes are going great. I really love my politics class. The UBA building it's in is pretty crazy in terms of socialist grafittis- there's a huge sign in front of one of my classrooms that says "Yankee get out of South America," which is a bit intimidating. We're now studying history so that we have a background of Latin American political history before we start with current political events. History class is really interesting too. We're now studying the Mexican Revolution, which I've already studied, but studying it in a completely different way than I learned it in the US. Here, the class is much more focused on the mobilization of the masses and the difference economic relationships between classes (not exac
tly surprising). I'm slowly starting to absorb more and more of the Spanish. For my service learning class, I had an interview with Help Argentina on Monday and I should hopefully hear back from them soon. Other fun things- ordering in ice cream and empanadas to the apartment, finding good cafes to study with a cafe con leche, and finally getting my student visa!
I hope everyone's well and please send emails updating me on how you all are!
Love, Melanie
PICTURES
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Iguazu Falls (August 13-19)
Things is Buenos Aires are still going very well. This week, I went to Iguazu Falls, started classes, and got a kitten. Here's a summary-
On Thursday night, I left with about six of my friends on a bus bound for Puerto Iguazu (20 hour trip), a small town in northern Argentina in the province of Missiones, right on the triple border with Paraguay and Brazil. We decided to splurge a bit and paid the extra $5 to ride on "cama ejecutiva." The bus was incredible- big leather seats that reclined to almost 180 degrees, dinner, breakfast, wine, etc. The ride itself was like a little vacation. We got to Iguazu on Friday afternoon, got settled into our hostel and walked down to see the tres fronteras (where Brazil, Paraguay and Argentine are divided by two rivers). We spent the evening relaxing and exploring around the town a bit. Saturday, we woke up early to get a full day at Iguazu Falls National Park. The falls were absolutely INCREDIBLE! There are waterfalls everywhere, big and small, some hidden away in the jungle and others clumped together. It's hard to even explain how cool they were, (I took a bunch of pictures). We took a 15-minute boat ride under a few of the falls and got absolutely drenched- very fun. My favorite was the Garganta del Diablo (Devil's throat), which is the biggest waterfall in the park. It literally looks like an ocean falling off a cliff, and was definitely one of the most amazing things I've ever seen. The power of the waterfall is incredibly humbling, and it was really cool to stand and let the mist from the waterfall drench me. A truly unforgettable day, with the one hitch of getting my lunch stolen off of my lap by coatis (raccoon like jungle animals that only seem cute at first).
The next day, I went to an animal sanctuary and saw monkeys, toucans, alligators, and lots of raptors that are either being rehabilitated or are living there. They have a training program to re-teach the previously captive eagles, hawks and falcons how to hunt, and that was cool to see. I found myself with a spare couple hours after, and of course went back into the park and just stood by the garganta for about half an hour. At about 4 in the afternoon, we caught the bus back to Buenos Aires.
Since getting back from Iguazu, I've been focused on two things. The first is visiting service organizations for my service learning class internship. I first visited the Madres del Plaza Mayo, which won't fit into my schedule but was really amazing to see. The organization was founded in the 1970s by the mothers of those who were forcibly "disappeared" during the dictatorship (called the Dirty Wars in the US). We went into their office, and it was full of old woman who are still working to find out what happened to their children and improve human rights and government accountability in Argentina. The walls were covered with the pictures of their disappeared children- most of whom were about my age when they disappeared. The mothers told us their stories and about what they're trying to achieve today- the whole experience was very moving. I also visited an organization called Help Argentina, which links donors around the world to non-profit organizations in Argentina, and a community center in one of the poorest barrios outside of Buenos Aires. On Monday, I'm visiting a center that focuses on drug policy and treatment and addiction prevention. They all seem really worthwhile and interesting, and I'm still really not sure which one I'll pick.
The other thing I've been doing is going to class (school was bound to happen eventually). I've only been to two classes so far. The first was my Argentine Fiction class, which is taught by an Argentine professor but all foreign kids from my program, so it's pretty similar to the classes I take at school at home. My first history class, at UBA (the public university), was much more interesting. The building has very cool old architecture, but it's a bit run down. The walls are covered with pamphlets and grafatti, most of which is advocating very leftist causes (lots of pictures of Che). My class was extremely interesting- it started very late, random students kept coming in to present different groups/political causes, and students wandered in and out. However, the content of the class was extremely interesting. We spent most of the class discussing the meaning of a unified "Latin American" identity- what does it mean to be Latin America? The students were all very passionate and engaged and everyone had some kind of answer. Overall, the UBA is a little run down, but I was very impressed about how much the students care about the content and quality of their education. Everyone there really cares about what they're learning and wants to be there. I'm excited to see what my politics class will be like.
Most importantly, our apartment welcomed a new family member last night- a kitten. She is white and gray with stripes and beautiful and snuggly, and her name is Paqui (I don't know why they named her that and they won't tell me. Apparently it's a long story).
I hope you're all well and send all my love.
Melanie
Photos from Iguazu
On Thursday night, I left with about six of my friends on a bus bound for Puerto Iguazu (20 hour trip), a small town in northern Argentina in the province of Missiones, right on the triple border with Paraguay and Brazil. We decided to splurge a bit and paid the extra $5 to ride on "cama ejecutiva." The bus was incredible- big leather seats that reclined to almost 180 degrees, dinner, breakfast, wine, etc. The ride itself was like a little vacation. We got to Iguazu on Friday afternoon, got settled into our hostel and walked down to see the tres fronteras (where Brazil, Paraguay and Argentine are divided by two rivers). We spent the evening relaxing and exploring around the town a bit. Saturday, we woke up early to get a full day at Iguazu Falls National Park. The falls were absolutely INCREDIBLE! There are waterfalls everywhere, big and small, some hidden away in the jungle and others clumped together. It's hard to even explain how cool they were, (I took a bunch of pictures). We took a 15-minute boat ride under a few of the falls and got absolutely drenched- very fun. My favorite was the Garganta del Diablo (Devil's throat), which is the biggest waterfall in the park. It literally looks like an ocean falling off a cliff, and was definitely one of the most amazing things I've ever seen. The power of the waterfall is incredibly humbling, and it was really cool to stand and let the mist from the waterfall drench me. A truly unforgettable day, with the one hitch of getting my lunch stolen off of my lap by coatis (raccoon like jungle animals that only seem cute at first).
The next day, I went to an animal sanctuary and saw monkeys, toucans, alligators, and lots of raptors that are either being rehabilitated or are living there. They have a training program to re-teach the previously captive eagles, hawks and falcons how to hunt, and that was cool to see. I found myself with a spare couple hours after, and of course went back into the park and just stood by the garganta for about half an hour. At about 4 in the afternoon, we caught the bus back to Buenos Aires.
Since getting back from Iguazu, I've been focused on two things. The first is visiting service organizations for my service learning class internship. I first visited the Madres del Plaza Mayo, which won't fit into my schedule but was really amazing to see. The organization was founded in the 1970s by the mothers of those who were forcibly "disappeared" during the dictatorship (called the Dirty Wars in the US). We went into their office, and it was full of old woman who are still working to find out what happened to their children and improve human rights and government accountability in Argentina. The walls were covered with the pictures of their disappeared children- most of whom were about my age when they disappeared. The mothers told us their stories and about what they're trying to achieve today- the whole experience was very moving. I also visited an organization called Help Argentina, which links donors around the world to non-profit organizations in Argentina, and a community center in one of the poorest barrios outside of Buenos Aires. On Monday, I'm visiting a center that focuses on drug policy and treatment and addiction prevention. They all seem really worthwhile and interesting, and I'm still really not sure which one I'll pick.
The other thing I've been doing is going to class (school was bound to happen eventually). I've only been to two classes so far. The first was my Argentine Fiction class, which is taught by an Argentine professor but all foreign kids from my program, so it's pretty similar to the classes I take at school at home. My first history class, at UBA (the public university), was much more interesting. The building has very cool old architecture, but it's a bit run down. The walls are covered with pamphlets and grafatti, most of which is advocating very leftist causes (lots of pictures of Che). My class was extremely interesting- it started very late, random students kept coming in to present different groups/political causes, and students wandered in and out. However, the content of the class was extremely interesting. We spent most of the class discussing the meaning of a unified "Latin American" identity- what does it mean to be Latin America? The students were all very passionate and engaged and everyone had some kind of answer. Overall, the UBA is a little run down, but I was very impressed about how much the students care about the content and quality of their education. Everyone there really cares about what they're learning and wants to be there. I'm excited to see what my politics class will be like.
Most importantly, our apartment welcomed a new family member last night- a kitten. She is white and gray with stripes and beautiful and snuggly, and her name is Paqui (I don't know why they named her that and they won't tell me. Apparently it's a long story).
I hope you're all well and send all my love.
Melanie
Photos from Iguazu
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
More from Buenos Aires (August 5-12)
Things are still going great here in Buenos Aires. I still haven't started classes (everything got moved back as a precaution with the swine flu outbreak), so I've gotten a good chance to do a little exploring around the city. Here's a summary of what I've been up to...
I've been trying to go out to a little bit more authentic of places at night. It's very easy to fall into a pattern of going all to the more touristy clubs, which is fun but not what I came to Buenos Aires to do. My favorite was an Afro-pub called Akwaba, where we saw an Uruguayan trio play Afro-Cuban music. The place was small and poorly lit, and absolutely packed with people dancing salsa. I'm continually amazed at how well normal people can dance here (especially considering my own dancing skills). I did, however, dance a bit, and had a great time. Once classes start and I get into more of a schedule, I'm going to start taking salsa and/or tango lessons.
We've also been doing the actual registration for classes this week. The way my program's set up, we can take classes at three places: FLACSO (the program's headquarters, where the classes are taught in Spanish but are all foreign students), UCA (the private, Catholic University of Buenos Aires) and UBA (the public university of Buenos Aires). After much consideration and Spanish pre-testing, I've decided to take an Argentine fiction class at FLACSO and two classes at UBA- Latin American Politics and the Social History of Latin America. UBA is a free university of 300,000 students, almost all of whom are Argentine. It's supposed to be pretty wild- the class sizes are huge, the facilities are awful, and in some class rooms the students have to sit on the floor. However, UBA is also the most prestigious university in the country, has the best professors and the most intelligent students, so I decided to try my luck. For my fourth class, I'm taking a service learning seminar at FLACSO. Sometime during the next week, I'll select a non-profit organization to volunteer at about 5 hours a week in coordination with a once a week class at FLACSO.
In terms of extra-curriculars, I just joined the football interest club through FLACSO. With the group, I'm going to go to different Argentine soccer games. Also, starting next week, we will meet twice a week to play soccer ourselves. The group consists of all kids from my program but is run by Argentine students, so we will be playing every week with Argentines. It promises to be a fun but humbling and humiliating experience (the 8 year olds I see playing in the park are probably better than me).
This past weekend, our program took a trip to a small gaucho town about 2 hours outside of Buenos Aires called San Antonia de Acero. It was very fun and relaxing- we saw a gaucho show, went horseback riding, had a dance lesson, and ate an absolutely incredible amount of delicious beef. Although I am in love with Buenos Aires, it's very nice to know that there are such nice places so close if I ever need to get out of the city for a day or two.
I've also celebrated a few birthdays this weekend. A girl who stayed with my host mom about a year ago came back to visit and Saturday was her birthday, so we had a big birthday party. We filled the bathtub with ice and bottles of red wine, and spent the night dancing. It was a blast and a great opportunity to spend time with some more Argentines. On Sunday, my friend from Georgetown Jake's host family celebrated Jake's birthday with an asada (barbeque) at their house. We started eating at 2:00 pm and didn't get up from the table until 8:00 pm- Argentines really know how to enjoy each other's company.
With another friend from Georgetown (Raphy) who came to visit this weekend, I saw some of the prettiest parts of Buenos Aires. We walked along Puerto Madero at night, and saw the enormous bridge illuminated and reflecting on the water. We also went to La Boca for lunch, and saw a tango show as well as the beautifully colorful walls and houses.
I'm off to Iguazu Falls for a trip tomorrow, get back on Monday and start classes on Tuesday. I'm having a truly fabulous time, and am already starting to worry that I won't have time to do all the things I want to do here. I hope you all are very well, and I send all my love. Melanie
PICTURES FROM THIS WEEK
I've been trying to go out to a little bit more authentic of places at night. It's very easy to fall into a pattern of going all to the more touristy clubs, which is fun but not what I came to Buenos Aires to do. My favorite was an Afro-pub called Akwaba, where we saw an Uruguayan trio play Afro-Cuban music. The place was small and poorly lit, and absolutely packed with people dancing salsa. I'm continually amazed at how well normal people can dance here (especially considering my own dancing skills). I did, however, dance a bit, and had a great time. Once classes start and I get into more of a schedule, I'm going to start taking salsa and/or tango lessons.
We've also been doing the actual registration for classes this week. The way my program's set up, we can take classes at three places: FLACSO (the program's headquarters, where the classes are taught in Spanish but are all foreign students), UCA (the private, Catholic University of Buenos Aires) and UBA (the public university of Buenos Aires). After much consideration and Spanish pre-testing, I've decided to take an Argentine fiction class at FLACSO and two classes at UBA- Latin American Politics and the Social History of Latin America. UBA is a free university of 300,000 students, almost all of whom are Argentine. It's supposed to be pretty wild- the class sizes are huge, the facilities are awful, and in some class rooms the students have to sit on the floor. However, UBA is also the most prestigious university in the country, has the best professors and the most intelligent students, so I decided to try my luck. For my fourth class, I'm taking a service learning seminar at FLACSO. Sometime during the next week, I'll select a non-profit organization to volunteer at about 5 hours a week in coordination with a once a week class at FLACSO.
In terms of extra-curriculars, I just joined the football interest club through FLACSO. With the group, I'm going to go to different Argentine soccer games. Also, starting next week, we will meet twice a week to play soccer ourselves. The group consists of all kids from my program but is run by Argentine students, so we will be playing every week with Argentines. It promises to be a fun but humbling and humiliating experience (the 8 year olds I see playing in the park are probably better than me).
This past weekend, our program took a trip to a small gaucho town about 2 hours outside of Buenos Aires called San Antonia de Acero. It was very fun and relaxing- we saw a gaucho show, went horseback riding, had a dance lesson, and ate an absolutely incredible amount of delicious beef. Although I am in love with Buenos Aires, it's very nice to know that there are such nice places so close if I ever need to get out of the city for a day or two.
I've also celebrated a few birthdays this weekend. A girl who stayed with my host mom about a year ago came back to visit and Saturday was her birthday, so we had a big birthday party. We filled the bathtub with ice and bottles of red wine, and spent the night dancing. It was a blast and a great opportunity to spend time with some more Argentines. On Sunday, my friend from Georgetown Jake's host family celebrated Jake's birthday with an asada (barbeque) at their house. We started eating at 2:00 pm and didn't get up from the table until 8:00 pm- Argentines really know how to enjoy each other's company.
With another friend from Georgetown (Raphy) who came to visit this weekend, I saw some of the prettiest parts of Buenos Aires. We walked along Puerto Madero at night, and saw the enormous bridge illuminated and reflecting on the water. We also went to La Boca for lunch, and saw a tango show as well as the beautifully colorful walls and houses.
I'm off to Iguazu Falls for a trip tomorrow, get back on Monday and start classes on Tuesday. I'm having a truly fabulous time, and am already starting to worry that I won't have time to do all the things I want to do here. I hope you all are very well, and I send all my love. Melanie
PICTURES FROM THIS WEEK
Monday, August 10, 2009
Mailing Address
I just received my mailing address here:
Melanie Pitkin
CIEE-FLACSO Program
Ayacucho 555
Buenos Aires, 1026 ARGENTINA
Melanie Pitkin
CIEE-FLACSO Program
Ayacucho 555
Buenos Aires, 1026 ARGENTINA
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Buenos Aires!
July 22nd-August 4th: Arrival in Buenos Aires
I arrived in Buenos Aires on July 22nd. I landed in the middle of the cold front- although the Buenos Aires winter is definitely milder than Colorado, it's quite a bit colder than I expected. My first night, I caught a car to my hotel and took a long, warm bath in my private room (in Peru, I stayed almost exclusively in dorm-style hostels, very few of which had warm showers). The next morning, the program began.
Apart from a rough first few days (I was pretty culture shocked coming almost directly from trekking in the jungle to one of the most cosmopolitan cities in South America), the first week+ here in Buenos Aires has been great. The city is beautiful in a very European way. The architecture is predominantly colonial, and there are parks and squares scattered throughout the whole city. I have also loved the feel of the city. It's more relaxed than most big American cities, and sophisticated without being pretentious. The people are not exactly warm, but still very helpful and conversational.
As promised, the city never sleeps. We normally don't go out until 12 or 1 am and returning by 4 am is considered "early." There is an incredible array of things to do here. Although a decent portion of my time is still being spent at orientation for the program, I've been to the National History Museum, the Zoo, Puerto Madero, the Lonely Planet walking tour, the annual rural exposition, and a wide array of cafes, restaurants, bars and clubs. The coolest thing I've done is take a tour of the Casa Rosada (the Argentine equivalent of the White House). The security there is much looser than in American government buildings, and as we went on a Sunday we were able to see almost everything.
I'm living in a barrio called Palermo with a 35 woman who is a lawyer. Although she is very busy and not home so often, she is very helpful, kind, and funny. It's a nice mix of support and independence- she lets me do whatever I want, but if I need anything she's always willing to help. I went out to a jazz club with her and her friends one night, and spend lots of dinner discussing a wide array of topics with my host mom and her boyfriend. Through her, I'm sure I'll get the chance to meet a lot of cool Argentines. Also,the location of the apartment is great. It's in a very safe neighborhood where the majority of the bars and clubs are located, as well as a bunch of cool restaurants, cafes and shops.
The program I'm here with has also been very cool. Apart from the two directors, the majority of the staff are Argentine students between the ages of 22-27. Most of them are studying or have studied at the University of Buenos Aires, so they've been very helpful as we've waded through the registration process. Within a few days, I should know my schedule. As of now, I think I'm going to take an Argentine fiction class, a Service Learning class based predominately on weekly volunteering, a Latin American history class and a Latin American politics class. Due to the swine flu, classes were moved back and we won't be starting until around August 17th. I'm excited for the extra time to explore around the city!
I hope that you're all well, and now that I have reliable internet access I'll try to update this more often. I hope that you're all well and to hear about what you're all up to!
Love, Melanie
Photos from the first week
I arrived in Buenos Aires on July 22nd. I landed in the middle of the cold front- although the Buenos Aires winter is definitely milder than Colorado, it's quite a bit colder than I expected. My first night, I caught a car to my hotel and took a long, warm bath in my private room (in Peru, I stayed almost exclusively in dorm-style hostels, very few of which had warm showers). The next morning, the program began.
Apart from a rough first few days (I was pretty culture shocked coming almost directly from trekking in the jungle to one of the most cosmopolitan cities in South America), the first week+ here in Buenos Aires has been great. The city is beautiful in a very European way. The architecture is predominantly colonial, and there are parks and squares scattered throughout the whole city. I have also loved the feel of the city. It's more relaxed than most big American cities, and sophisticated without being pretentious. The people are not exactly warm, but still very helpful and conversational.
As promised, the city never sleeps. We normally don't go out until 12 or 1 am and returning by 4 am is considered "early." There is an incredible array of things to do here. Although a decent portion of my time is still being spent at orientation for the program, I've been to the National History Museum, the Zoo, Puerto Madero, the Lonely Planet walking tour, the annual rural exposition, and a wide array of cafes, restaurants, bars and clubs. The coolest thing I've done is take a tour of the Casa Rosada (the Argentine equivalent of the White House). The security there is much looser than in American government buildings, and as we went on a Sunday we were able to see almost everything.
I'm living in a barrio called Palermo with a 35 woman who is a lawyer. Although she is very busy and not home so often, she is very helpful, kind, and funny. It's a nice mix of support and independence- she lets me do whatever I want, but if I need anything she's always willing to help. I went out to a jazz club with her and her friends one night, and spend lots of dinner discussing a wide array of topics with my host mom and her boyfriend. Through her, I'm sure I'll get the chance to meet a lot of cool Argentines. Also,the location of the apartment is great. It's in a very safe neighborhood where the majority of the bars and clubs are located, as well as a bunch of cool restaurants, cafes and shops.
The program I'm here with has also been very cool. Apart from the two directors, the majority of the staff are Argentine students between the ages of 22-27. Most of them are studying or have studied at the University of Buenos Aires, so they've been very helpful as we've waded through the registration process. Within a few days, I should know my schedule. As of now, I think I'm going to take an Argentine fiction class, a Service Learning class based predominately on weekly volunteering, a Latin American history class and a Latin American politics class. Due to the swine flu, classes were moved back and we won't be starting until around August 17th. I'm excited for the extra time to explore around the city!
I hope that you're all well, and now that I have reliable internet access I'll try to update this more often. I hope that you're all well and to hear about what you're all up to!
Love, Melanie
Photos from the first week
Last Week in Peru
Hi! I'm now in Buenos Aires, but I thought I'd write a little bit about my last week in Peru.
On July 15, I took a bus from Huancayo to Lima, which was very easy. I stayed at a hostel right near the center of Lima and had the opportunity to spend the evening looking at the governmental palace and other incredible architecture of the main square. Very early on the morning of the 16th, I caught a flight from Lima to Cusco. Although I was planning on sleeping for the whole flight, I was pleasantly surprised at how beautiful the flight was. The airplane flew very low, and I watched the sunrise over the snow-capped Andes poking through a thin layer of clouds (it kinds of looked like islands in a very still ocean). I met my friend Frank in Cusco, (an absolutely incredible city) and we spent the day exploring. It was very interesting to see the buildings where the Spaniards built directly on top of the Inca walls. Although the Inca walls are much older, they have endured the time, weather and earthquakes much better than the Spanish walls have. After a quick briefing, we packed and went to bed early in preparation for the beginning of the Inca Trail!
July 17-20: Inca Trail
The Inca Trail to Machu Picchu was one of the most incredible things I've ever done. Although it's a little pricier than most of the trekking in Peru, I would definitely recommend it for anyone who ever gets the chance. Our group consisted of 9 hikers, 2 guides, and 13 porters. We hiked for 4 days and three nights along the trail the ancient Inca upper class used at a type of pilgrimmage from Cusco to Machu Picchu. I was amazed at how quickly the terrain changed... we hiked through forest, jungle, and more rocky and alpine terrain. The highest point (and part where I struggled most) was Dead Woman's Pass (14,000 feet). Our guides were great and the porters carried our tents and food. Although we were sleeping in tents, it wasn't exactly roughing it.... the porters went ahead to cook us amazing meals, set out bowls of warm water for us to wash every morning and evening, and woke us every morning by coming to our tents with hot coca tea.
The trail wasn't as hard as I expected it to be, considering that I carried most of my own stuff. Although most people hire porters to carry their clothes, sleeping bags, etc., Frank and I decided to carry our own. It definitely made the hike I bit harder, but it added a little sense of accomplishment to do it on my own. The hike was incredibly beautiful...I could hardly put my camera away. Not only were there incredible views, we saw one or two ancient Inca sites every day. The people in our group were great, and the trail wasn't as clogged with tourists as I expected it to be.
Machu Picchu was also incredible. Our group woke up extra early and was second in line at the check point. When the check point opened at 5:30 AM, Frank and I ran along the jungle paths (guided only by the light of our headlamps) and ended up being the 2nd (Frank) and 6th people to reach the sungate, giving us the unique opportunity to see the site before the 2,000 daily tourists arrived. Although not as mysterious and spiritual as the other sites due to the volume of tourists, Machu Picchu was amazing to finally see.
After the Inca Trail, we spent a night in Aguas Calientes, took the train down to Cusco, and then spent one final night in Cusco. On the morning of the 22nd, I flew to Buenos Aires. I had an amazing time in Peru. The people are so warm, friendly and generous. The hikes I went on were absolutely gorgeous, and the Andean culture is fascinating. Although I'm loving Buenos Aires, I definitely miss Peru too and hope to return again to see all the things I missed.
On July 15, I took a bus from Huancayo to Lima, which was very easy. I stayed at a hostel right near the center of Lima and had the opportunity to spend the evening looking at the governmental palace and other incredible architecture of the main square. Very early on the morning of the 16th, I caught a flight from Lima to Cusco. Although I was planning on sleeping for the whole flight, I was pleasantly surprised at how beautiful the flight was. The airplane flew very low, and I watched the sunrise over the snow-capped Andes poking through a thin layer of clouds (it kinds of looked like islands in a very still ocean). I met my friend Frank in Cusco, (an absolutely incredible city) and we spent the day exploring. It was very interesting to see the buildings where the Spaniards built directly on top of the Inca walls. Although the Inca walls are much older, they have endured the time, weather and earthquakes much better than the Spanish walls have. After a quick briefing, we packed and went to bed early in preparation for the beginning of the Inca Trail!
July 17-20: Inca Trail
The Inca Trail to Machu Picchu was one of the most incredible things I've ever done. Although it's a little pricier than most of the trekking in Peru, I would definitely recommend it for anyone who ever gets the chance. Our group consisted of 9 hikers, 2 guides, and 13 porters. We hiked for 4 days and three nights along the trail the ancient Inca upper class used at a type of pilgrimmage from Cusco to Machu Picchu. I was amazed at how quickly the terrain changed... we hiked through forest, jungle, and more rocky and alpine terrain. The highest point (and part where I struggled most) was Dead Woman's Pass (14,000 feet). Our guides were great and the porters carried our tents and food. Although we were sleeping in tents, it wasn't exactly roughing it.... the porters went ahead to cook us amazing meals, set out bowls of warm water for us to wash every morning and evening, and woke us every morning by coming to our tents with hot coca tea.
The trail wasn't as hard as I expected it to be, considering that I carried most of my own stuff. Although most people hire porters to carry their clothes, sleeping bags, etc., Frank and I decided to carry our own. It definitely made the hike I bit harder, but it added a little sense of accomplishment to do it on my own. The hike was incredibly beautiful...I could hardly put my camera away. Not only were there incredible views, we saw one or two ancient Inca sites every day. The people in our group were great, and the trail wasn't as clogged with tourists as I expected it to be.
Machu Picchu was also incredible. Our group woke up extra early and was second in line at the check point. When the check point opened at 5:30 AM, Frank and I ran along the jungle paths (guided only by the light of our headlamps) and ended up being the 2nd (Frank) and 6th people to reach the sungate, giving us the unique opportunity to see the site before the 2,000 daily tourists arrived. Although not as mysterious and spiritual as the other sites due to the volume of tourists, Machu Picchu was amazing to finally see.
After the Inca Trail, we spent a night in Aguas Calientes, took the train down to Cusco, and then spent one final night in Cusco. On the morning of the 22nd, I flew to Buenos Aires. I had an amazing time in Peru. The people are so warm, friendly and generous. The hikes I went on were absolutely gorgeous, and the Andean culture is fascinating. Although I'm loving Buenos Aires, I definitely miss Peru too and hope to return again to see all the things I missed.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)