¿En Serio?

So, I had class at 8:30am this morning, as I do every Friday morning. Only today's class was a little bit off compared to others.

First of all, class started with a survey. One of our professors (we have 5) handed out these surveys for us to complete. Our first concern was "should we really fill these out? we don't even really go here." lol. But we decided to just fill them out anyway. That's where the humor started. We all take surveys at in our college classes at the end every semester but I can guarantee it has never been as ridiculous as the one I took today. Here are a few examples of the RIDICULOUS stuff they had the nerve to ask. Of course it was in spanish, but I wrote them out in English.

1.) On a scale of 1-10 how happy are you with your life? (1 being not happy, 10 being very happy)

{If I hated my life, I'd be sad they reminded me of it. lol}

2.) Who is God to you? [the question itself isn't horrible but some of the choices were] {I only typed up the choices I thought were funniest}

a. my friend

b. the reason for all of the evil in the world

c. some guy who never existed

3. Who are people you'd prefer not to have as neighbors? {again I only included the most interesting choices}

a. illegal immigrants

b. people who are crazy

c. people with AIDS

d. immigrants from Africa (I swear this was a choice!!)

On top of this, there were an immense amount of questions about religion on the survey which, in my opinion, is just ridiculous. My friend Lauryn and I were laughing about how this survey was so severely politically incorrect. And the craziest thing about it is that the students taking the survey didn't look at it as ridiculous at all. It's really an eye opener to see this occur in a "professional" environment.

The other thing that made this class funny was the construction going on. Our building is currently being worked on and it seems to only get worked on during our class times. Our teacher had the nerve to try to teach over the noise which happened to be right under our classroom. So, we waited for about 10 minutes and we switched classrooms to a very mildew smelling room. My professor made me laugh because as soon as he sat down, he continued where he left off without warning. It was hilarious.

That was my class today and I thought it was definitely something to write about.

My First Opera Experience

I got to experience my first opera yesterday and it was absolutely amazing (not to mention it was free). I went to see Madama Butterfly in this really nice theatre.

Madama Butterfly is about a soldier from the US buying a house in Japan. With the house comes servants and a geisha wife named Butterfly. The marriage is not supported by anybody who is related to Butterfly, including the souls of her ancestors (yea, I know, weird). So, the soldier marries Butterfly anyway and a little while later has to return to the US. He is gone for three years and in that time Butterfly gave birth to his child and never told him. She just waits for his return. Upon his return, Butterfly finds that he has an American wife so she kills herself before he can do anything about it.

It was super long, dramatic and too drawn out, but I really enjoyed myself. haha. It was a great experience. It was in Italian so they had the spanish subtitles for us to read and it was really cool. Lucky me and this free stuff!

Life has its ups and downs

SO sooooo sooooo sorry, I've been super busy/lazy and haven't written in such a long time, but no worries because I am going to update you about my life right now!

So, I'll start with the reason I stopped blogging in

the first place. All of my drive for excitement in life plummeted the day I was robbed at gunpoint. It was a little less than a month ago, May 8th. Two girlfriends and I were headed to a very touristy part of Buenos Aires. But, in order to get there, you have to go through a really rough neighborhood (talkin North Philly Badlands/Beirut tough). Needless to say, we never got to the touristy part. Three boys ran up on us and pointed a gun at us for all of our things. After having a gun stuck in my stomach, I kinda forgot to care about anything I guess. BUT, I'm back! lol. Those idiots only got 5 American dollars from me anyway. Stupid fools.

Less than a week later, on May 14th, I went to see a play about some revolutionary lady named Juana. It was decent and it had lots of fighting (which I LOVE) and

it kept me entertained.

Then, the day after, the 15th, I went to my first professional futbol (soccer) game and I had the time of my life. I went with 3 guys and 2 other girls and we were so loud and excited. I jumped and chanted with the crowd. It was an amazing experience because the crowd was not quiet the entire time. They played music and chanted and set off mini fireworks and flares. The spirit was just what I needed to fall back in love with Argentina.

My friend Lauryn celebrated her 21st birthday on the 19th of May which was a Wednesday but we all went out to a Brazilian restaurant/club with her and had an AMAZING night. I think I got in around 4am. The food was yummy, and the band was GORGEOUS. I think I wanna travel to Brazil some day because they are beautiful people those Brazilians. lol.

Hmmmm, what else? OH DUH!! Argentina celebrated their bicentennial from the 2oth until the 25th. And it was GREAT! There were about 5 parades. Tons of stands, entirely too many people, huge crowds, free stuff, face paintings, fireworks, and so much more. We went to the opening of the world renown Teatro Colon. Ugh, it was just so great to be able to experience such a historic moment with the Argentine people. We watched futbol (Argentina vs Canada) on the big screens they had set up all over the city and celebrated right in the middle of the crowd. It was a great experience. SOOOOOOO thankful! And I got my face painted!

I've also had a ridiculous amount of midterms that have been kicking my ass, but I'm living through them. Plus we get retakes here. What a college right? Another sign that I am back to my normal self is that, while heading to one of my midterms, my friend and I got off at the wrong stop, began walking, and then turned around and got back on the subte. It was absolutely hilarious and I laughed for like 10 minutes (yes, that loud laugh that I know you all love so much).

Thursday the 27th of May I went to a play (for free) with my program for my theatre class and it was ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE. I wanted to die the entire time I watched it. BUT, I survived. It was about a dance marathon but it was super boring and abstract and, well, just not for me.

This past Friday, 28th of May, I went to a bunch of art galleries for free. It's this thing they have here called Gallery Nights where the galleries are free the last Friday of each month. It was a good experience and I got lots of free mini pieces of art. yay me! and yay for free! lol

soooooo, there's your update. :D

A practically free weekend...

My weekend was pretty much a free weekend of lots of fun stuff.

Friday, I actually just chilled and watched movies in

my room, so that was clearly free. lol

Saturday, I went to a free horse race! It was so cool. We walked right by the stalls where they keep the horses.

The weather was gorgeous and actually felt pretty hot.

Then, that evening I went to a free circus. It was more like cirque du soleil and it was effin amazing. The people came flying in from buildings. Fine, they weren't flying they were ziplining but still cool! lol.

The circus was kind of a story about these angels flying around and then a guy who isn't an angel but he wants to fly so they kill him and he becomes an angel so he too can fly. It was amazing. I don't think any picture could express how great it was.

Sunday, went to two street fairs. Of course I bought stuff, but they are just gifts for other people. Oh, and I bought 4 more flowers for my hair. lol.

Oh, amazing weekend meng!

Coge coge coge... OMG that means to have sex! haha

So, last Thursday, I went to yet another free play with my theatre class. It was called El Pasado Es Un Animal Grotesco meaning The Past is a Grotesque Animal. This was quite the interesting play. First of all, the entire thing was done on a turntable stage that was divided into 4 different rooms. The play was just about the lives of a group of people but it was narrated by each of the four actors. It was done quite well but sometimes it was confusing.

The reasoning behind my title is because much of the play was done in Argentine dialect spanish which can be a bit different from most. The one narrator was talking about one of the characters and his partner (which actually was a dummy so he was humping a dummy on stage! lol). THe narrator said over and over, coge. To Puerto Ricans, coge means to take and to Argentines, coge means to have sex. So, I'm listening to the narrator and I'm like what did the character take when SUDDENLY it hit me what coge meant! lol. It was quite hilarious.

All in all, I had a great time and it was humorous.

Colonia, Uruguay!!!

AHHHHHHH MOST AMAZING TRIP!!

Soooo, with my program, we got a FREE trip to Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay. How was it you ask? AMAZING. I had soooo much fun and it is such a gorgeous town.

Sunday, April 25th at 9am, our ferry left for Colonia and arrived at about noon. By the time all 75 of us got through customs, it was about 12:30. So we walked to our hotels and unloaded. After this, we walked to a restaurant that was closed down for us (our director is kind of a big shot).

Then, we got an amazing little tour of the town which is so small and beautiful. They have an amazing lighthouse and beaches all over. It was love at first sight! After our amazing lunch and tour, we got free time. My friend Diana and I wandered around the town for hours taking random pictures.

I couldn't even believe how soothing it was at the top of the lighthouse.

After our long walk and exploration, we walked to a beach and just sat on the rocks to watch the sunset. I must say it was the most amazing feeling to just sit there and leave all life's worries behind.

That night was a quiet night for us, we just stayed in and chilled with the others in the program. But it was just so great to sit around and enjoy all that was happening around us. We did run into a parade of music and when we asked what was the purpose of it, the people answered "just to dance". When I heard that, I smiled and danced along with them. It's so simply really, just dance and everything will be better in life. Stop the worrying and just dance.

Monday, April 26^th, we woke up early to eat breakfast at our hotels. Then, around 12noon, we left for our director’s house. It was about a 20 minute drive because he lives in a HUGE house that he made into a bed and breakfast. There’s a lemon orchard that he owns and PLENTY of land. He has an outdoor pool and lives about a 10 minute walk from the beach. We had an asado (barbeque) at his house and enjoyed entirely too much food. Afterwards, we all hung around and just talked or went to the pool, etc. Diana and I chose to talk to some of the people who work for the program about bad words. Lol. It was quite enlightening.

After this we all went our separate ways but most to the beach. We returned from the beach to have a dessert and say our goodbyes. Then, we loaded up the bus to catch our ferry home to Buenos Aires. Oh man, that trip went by entirely too fast!

Sweet Serenity~ Praise Jesus

Much Ado About Nothing

Last week, I was fortunate enough to be able to attend another play, for free of course. It was an adaptation of Shakespeare's Mucho Ado About Nothing, they called it Mucho Ruido y Pocas Nueces.

My opinion? ummm, interesting to say the least. First of all, the theatre was very small which was appropriate because the setting was a countryside home. The set was nice but a little too elementary. I would've expected a bit more of actual art rather than trees that looked like a little kid made it. But, I did like how they transitioned many of the scenes. It was definitely clever blocking. And they used the stage space so well.

The actors were pretty funny. And, even though some of the jokes confused me, they still made me laugh. There were these 4 men in the play who were absolutely crazy. They would randomly dance and yell out to other characters during the play. These four men were ridiculously dressed and absolutely hilarious.

The synopsis of the play is as follows (from sparknotes):

L eonato, a kindly, respectable nobleman, lives in the idyllic Italian town of Messina. Leonato shares his house with his lovely young daughter, Hero, his playful, clever niece, Beatrice, and his elderly brother, Antonio. As the play begins, Leonato prepares to welcome some friends home from a war. The friends include Don Pedro, a prince who is a close friend of Leonato, and two fellow soldiers: Claudio, a well-respected young nobleman, and Benedick, a clever man who constantly makes witty jokes, often at the expense of his friends. Don John, Don Pedro’s illegitimate brother, is part of the crowd as well. Don John is sullen and bitter, and makes trouble for the others.

When the soldiers arrive at Leonato’s home, Claudio quickly falls in love with Hero. Meanwhile, Benedick and Beatrice resume the war of witty insults that they have carried on with each other in the past. Claudio and Hero pledge their love to one another and decide to be married. To pass the time in the week before the wedding, the lovers and their friends decide to play a game. They want to get Beatrice and Benedick, who are clearly meant for each other, to stop arguing and fall in love. Their tricks prove successful, and Beatrice and Benedick soon fall secretly in love with each other.

But Don John has decided to disrupt everyone’s happiness. He has his companion Borachio make love to Margaret, Hero’s serving woman, at Hero’s window in the darkness of the night, and he brings Don Pedro and Claudio to watch. Believing that he has seen Hero being unfaithful to him, the enraged Claudio humiliates Hero by suddenly accusing her of lechery on the day of their wedding and abandoning her at the altar. Hero’s stricken family members decide to pretend that she died suddenly of shock and grief and to hide her away while they wait for the truth about her innocence to come to light. In the aftermath of the rejection, Benedick and Beatrice finally confess their love to one another. Fortunately, the night watchmen overhear Borachio bragging about his crime. Dogberry and Verges, the heads of the local police, ultimately arrest both Borachio and Conrad, another of Don John’s followers. Everyone learns that Hero is really innocent, and Claudio, who believes she is dead, grieves for her.

Leonato tells Claudio that, as punishment, he wants Claudio to tell everybody in the city how innocent Hero was. He also wants Claudio to marry Leonato’s “niece”—a girl who, he says, looks much like the dead Hero. Claudio goes to church with the others, preparing to marry the mysterious, masked woman he thinks is Hero’s cousin. When Hero reveals herself as the masked woman, Claudio is overwhelmed with joy. Benedick then asks Beatrice if she will marry him, and after some arguing they agree. The joyful lovers all have a merry dance before they celebrate their double wedding.

So, it was a good play and it was FREE!! Later this week I'm off to another one! yay me!

BAFICI- Film Fest!

Buenos Aires Festival Internacional de Cine Independiente- International Independent Film Fest

Soooooo, the international film festival here in Buenos Aires was April 7-April 18. I was fortunate enough to have enough free time to go see six films in the festival ranging from terrible to amazing. I've decided that I'd write a little about each film and give my critique, so here goes...

Saturday, April 10- Velódromo- Chile

This movie was about a man's life. There was nothing special to the movie really. The main character, Ariel, is a very immature man who does stupid things and argues a lot which ends up making him lose his girlfriend and best friend. It was supposed to be a comedy about the simple things in life. Ariel practically lives on his computer and if not on that, he's on his bike. All in all, the film wasn't very good. It kind of felt like I could have made the film. Apparently that's a very popular type of film in Chile. Not for me! lol

Sunday, April 11-Meurtres á I'Empire State Building- France

This one was about people trying to solve the crime of the murders in the Empire State Building in the 1950s I believe. It was basically like watching Clue in a french movie form with a French narrator. I think it was super weird but there were a lot of crazy plot twists that interested me. If it weren't for the many scandals, I would've left the theatre. haha.

Monday, April 12-New York Memories- Germany

This was a documentary where a producer was going back to New York to find actresses who were in a film of his years earlier. He interviews them about how hard it's been to be accepted into the American culture as they're all from Germany. It was interesting because they pointed out many issues in America that still exist today. The director refers to New York as the gayest city in the world. This movie was another weird one that I really can't say much about. I wouldn't recommend it to many people, though.

Tuesday, April 13- El General- Mexico

This film was about a Mexican President during the Mexican Revolution. It was done by the great grand-daughter of this man. She compiled tapes from back then, with interviews from her grandmother and many official documents to create this film. I thought it was absolutely amazing and I think anybody who gets a chance to see this movie should definitely take their time to watch it.

Thursday, April 15- Last Train Home- China

This film was about the transit in China during Chinese New Year. 150 million people travel all around the country. They go from the prosperous coastal areas to the farming interior (reversing the migration many workers have been doing since the economic reforms of the 70s) and meet with the relatives they left behind when they went looking for work opportunities. After that, they go back; 150 million people, once again, dive into the collapsed Chinese transport system. It was a great story and it tells the story of a family going back to their farming roots. I would definitely recommend this film!

Friday, April 16- Zona Sur- Bolivia

This was BY FAR my favorite film in the festival. This film was about a rich family in La Paz, Bolivia. It tells the story of the matriarchy in the family and how horrible the mother is to the help in her house. Everyone has really strange relationships with each other and there are many secrets in this little household, but they combine to create such an intriguing story filled with scandal. GO SEE THIS FILM if you ever get the chance.

Well, for each film I paid 8 pesos, which is about equivalent of $2.25! Yay! lol Hope you enjoyed my insight.

And you thought coke was bad?...PACO

Paco is the byproduct of cocaine and happens to be much more addictive, cheaper, and a huge problem in Buenos Aires. Many of the young poor children in Buenos Aires become addicted and until their deaths, need paco at all times. I've taken an interest in this because it's so sad that we have things like this going on. Ingredients in paco include rat poison, chemicals, glue, cut glass, etc. Those addicted to this drug deteriorate so quickly and it's obvious when someone is addicted to paco. Like the streets of Philadelphia, it's hard to walk down the streets here without being bothered for money. But, quite often, by donating you're feeding a habit such as this.

In fact, this happens to be such a huge problem that they even made a movie about it, conveniently titled Paco. I went to see this movie a few weeks ago and was absolutely blown away by things that go on right under our noses. The movie is absolutely amazing and I am going to try to buy it before I return to the states so that I may share it with anybody who is interested. The movie is about a young man, maybe 20-23 years old, who is addicted to paco. He also happens to be the son of a politician who is aiming to increase her ratings, which is hindered with the fact that her son is an addict. The movie goes through his journey to recovery and through the stories of many other people.

If you'd like to look further into this problem, I've attached a link that I looked over and think is quite informative.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/feb/21/buenos-aires-slum-drugs-paco

Feria de Mataderos

This past weekend, my friend Lauryn and I decided to finally make a trip to this big fair that we've been talking about for weeks. We decided to meet at 11am so we get a good day there. Fortunately, the weather was absolutely amazing, perfect for a fair. While preparing to leave, we realized we didn't know how to get there (geniuses, huh) and we couldn't figure it out in our handy dandy notebooks aka Guia T (bus guides for Buenos Aires). After a confusing discussion with her host mom, we found out a general area to be in and hopped on the 55 towards Mataderos, a different and farther away neighborhood in Buenos Aires.

After a half an hour on the bus, we get off and walk in the direction of the plaza, where most fairs happen to be. We get there and, guess what, no feria! We just stared at our Guia T in a confused manor when two older women walk past us and I stop them for directions. What luck, they were heading to the exact same place and we walked right with them! Once we got there, we said our thank yous and good-byes and they headed off on their merry little way.

This was the most interesting fair I've ever been to! There's a huge Bolivian influence and I was extremely interested in all that was going on. There were folkloric dances being performed, singing, and speeches. Not to mention all the stands with super low prices. I couldn't help but to buy different gifts for people and myself. And then, I had food WITH SPICES IN IT! That's unheard of in Argentina. To top it off, it was a tamale! I was so happy. We walked around for hours just soaking up the sun, spending all our money, and enjoying the free entertainment. When it was time to go home, we were both quite satisfied with our day. Oh Buenos Aires, I love you!

THEATRE in Argentina

Sooooo, I've gotten the chance to experience two different shows within the past two weeks (free!) that are of typical Argentine style. WEIRD, to say the least, but interesting nevertheless.

Wednesday, April 7, I went to a play called Fuerza Bruta. This will be the most difficult thing I'll ever have to explain in my life! lol. First of all, the setting was just a large room with no chairs. The audience had to stand for the entire performance, but it was amazing. There was so much randomness going on that it was so exciting. It started with a man walking on what looked like a treadmill and he gets shot. Then he gets back up and continues walking and then running. He lays down in a bed and his dreams happen. For his dreams, there were two girls harnessed from the ceiling so they could run across the wall covered with silver tarp. So they ran and jumped around hanging from the ceiling. Later, there were random partying scenes. Then the room felt like it turned into a night club and the actors were making audience members dance with them. Later, they came into the audience again to smash tissue paper filled with confetti on peoples' heads. At the end, as it seemed like a club, the sprinklers came on and, depending on your position in the room, you could end up getting soaked or just getting a few drops of water. Me? Just guess!! Lucky me ended up under a nozzle so I walked out with dripping wet clothing and hair. Good thing it was such a good performance, or I would've been mad!!

Tonight, Wednesday, April 14, I went to a play called Splendor. How was it you ask? Effin weird! The show was a bunch of lip-synching, dancing, men tangoing together, and wild scenes from films. The show was done by a man of over 70 years. But the entire time, he was dressed as a woman, and his makeup was INTENSE! It was such a random act of many things in the Argentine culture that I didn't enjoy it as much as the Argentines there, but I thought it was interesting. I fell in love with the random dancing because the men were so strong to be able to pick each other up. And one of them was pretty good eye candy. haha. The older gentleman/creator was in 4 inch heels the entire time and wore eyelashes at least 2 inches in length. It was quite interesting/disturbing but I enjoyed myself.

Argentine culture includes a very different type of humor and over the next few months, I hope to be able to experience more of that. So far, I'm loving it.

Pascua con Mi Familia Argentina (Easter with my argentine family)

Me with my Easter candy from Carmen

Me and fat ass Diana

The fam

Me and Mami Carmen

YUM

SO, I thought Easter was gonna be a rough day for me. At home, we paint easter eggs the night before and mami hides them around the house and we search for the eggs and our baskets in the morning. As corny as that sounds, it's something I've always really enjoyed. Clearly, that's not how this year's Easter went.

I brought my friend Diana to Easter lunch with me. We road the train to a town called Tigre. It's in the provincia of Buenos Aires rather than the city. The train ride was about 45 minutes and we stood the entire time, while being stared down by a bunch of toothless, horny looking, very old and stinky men. What is it with people here?! YUCK! Once we arrived in Tigre, my host mom's daughter Mariavi came to get us with her boyfriend. From there, it was another 30 minute drive and that's when we arrived to wonderland! The houses were HUGE and most had in-ground pools. Clearly we had entered an even more rich area of Argentina and I was in love.

We get to the obnoxiously large house of my host brother Juan and his wife Andrea where we are greeted by, my host mom and dad, their son and daughter-in-law, Andrea's parents and aunt, and of course Mariavi and her boyfriend (forget his name, haha).

Anywho, we had an obnoxiously large amount of meat and sweets to last for the rest of the night. Mind you, lunch was at 1 and I couldn't eat for the rest of the day. Oh how I love the food. We ate outside in the nice weather where the food was being cooked on a grill. YES! I love this place.

Then, at the table, my host mami Carmen gave me a chocolate easter egg filled with candy. YUM! So although it was different, the holiday was still pretty great.

La Bella y La Bestia ON BROADWAY!

Ahhhh! So this past Saturday I went with 2 of mi amigas to go see The Beauty and the Beast on Broadway and it was so great. I paid for the cheapest seats so we sat in the next to last row. I paid 75 Argentine pesos, which is just under 20 U.S. dollars. Being that it was a broadway play, this is a great price.

Anywho, they told us to put our cameras away and that's when I took mine out! The pictures I took aren't amazing but you can see what's going on. My friend Diana and I were more hype than the kids in the audience! We kept screaming and clapping. We even teared up when Mrs. Potts sang La Bella y La Bestia. Sometimes the translations were a little off from what it is in English but it was absolutely amazing.

I'm a tough critic when it comes to musicals but their voices were GREAT! My favorite character was the Beast. His voice was absolutely gorgeous. I loved how creative the costumes were and I definitely recommend this play to anybody who would want to see a Broadway Musical.

Boats and Hoes...

Last Friday night (March 19), instead of my usual salsa dancing, I went to a party on a boat. Yes, you read that correctly, I said a party on a boat! I had an absolutely amazing time.

Beforehand, we went to this apartment where a couple of guys live to pregame it. Most of these dudes are from other countries and most from Canada. So, my rude ass Mexican friend and I expected to see a bunch of dudes who neither of us had any interest in. ummm, WRONG! We walked in the door and just looked at each other like "crap, were we wrong or what?!" Anywho, the drinking commenced and we all started to have fun. My usual creeper self just took random pics of all of these dudes and chicks at the party (mostly the dudes and my girls). Of course, genius me had the flash on, so everyone was just like cut it out creeper. lol.

After this, we left in a million taxis to take a 40 minute drive to this boat. And why did my taxi driver look like Che Guevara? Hat and all! He was identical! He even had a picture of Che hanging off the rearview mirror. We just laughed and started talking to him about the most outrageous things that have happened in his taxi while he was driving. Oh, he was quite hilarious. So, we get to the boat, pay Che, and hop on the boat! The music was a bunch of reggaeton and cumbia and a little bachata, but it was absolutely amazing. The view on the boat, the feeling of it and the entire atmosphere was so great to experience.

So, as the night came to an end, we all took down the numbers of the people we wanted to keep in touch with, of course, and all went to do our own thing. It was such an amazing night. Feel free to hate.

Politics in BA are so alive!

So, I've had a pretty interesting couple of days recently. I feel like school here is always cancelled. It's so weird. But the few classes I have attended are going great for me. As the days go on, I begin to understand them more and more. I even use some of their words over words I used to use.

Last week we had classes cancelled for a holiday on Wednesday. It's el dia nacional de la memoria, por la justicia y la verdad. Basically, it's a day of remembrance of when the troops took over their country and completely ruined many good things Argentina had to offer. Back in the day, when this occurred, Argentina went through a terrible military reign and this was when the disappearances occurred. The people who openly spoke against the military suddenly started “disappearing” from society. If they had children, quite often the military would take the children and give them away. It was a terrible time in Argentina and many people do not like to discuss it. But for the rally, I went to the center of the political life here. There were people making speeches, and at least 100 signs about different movements against the government. And where did they do this? Right in front of la casa rosada aka the pink house aka Argentina's version of the white house. It was amazing but what is even more amazing, to me, is that this is all in front of the President’s house. That’s kind of loco (crazy) no? Crazy, but very exciting.

Then, this week on Thursday and Friday we had off for what they call Semana Santa or Holy Week. They prepare for easter during these times. Many people travel to other places for mini-vacations. However, I stayed in this wonderful city.

Pics from the rally:

WEIRDO

So, the other day my friend Kristin and I were sitting in Parque Rivadavia which is a park in between our apartment buildings. We're just sitting there eating sweets, having a nice conversation, and enjoying the weather when, all of a sudden, this random guy walks up and starts speaking a bunch of gibberish. Now I know it was gibberish because, since I've been here, my comprehension skills have gotten so much better. And, even though Castellano is the most ridiculous form of Spanish that I've ever heard, I can now understand it a lot better. However, we couldn't understand a single word this man said. So we looked at him with our confused little faces and he asked if we understood Castellano. We answered yes and he did the gibberish thing again aka NOT spanish. And then, when we told him we didn't understand, he literally stared at us for 2 straight minutes. I staged a fake coughing fit in hopes of him leaving, but his creeper ass just stood there watching us intently n smiling, therefore showing off the few teeth he had which happened to be at least 8 colors. As the minutes continued to drag along, his crazy behind stayed there staring. I knew he was trying to sell something so I told him I had no money but he stayed there and smiled the creepiest smile I've ever seen. I was so close to getting up when he finally walked away. What a weirdo! And then I watched him do the same thing to another woman! CREEPER!

Classes in BA

So, my real classes haven't really begun yet. Currently, we are attending classes that interest us and we get to pick the ones we want. It's okay, I guess. But all the classes here are soooooooo long! They are only once a week but all are at least 3 hours long. Usually, there's a 15 minute break in the middle but that doesn't help too much because by the time the break comes, your butt is already numb and/or you already stopped taking notes because you fell asleep.

So, in the US, most professors recognize that we have different styles of learning and they try to cater to all three. Here, it's a different story. Most of the professors just talk for 3 straight hours without writing anything down. Are they crazy? It's so hard for me just to listen and write. I need a powerpoint presentation or writing on the board or something visual! Looking at someone for 3 hours straight while they speak with the most monotonous voice is the best way to put me to bed.

Another HUGE difference in my classes here and in the US, is the way the students act in class here. They are rude. If I was a professor I think I would tell them to get the heck out. They talk so loudly the entire time class is being taught. Or they interrupt the professors while they are teaching to ask a question even after the professor tells them to wait a minute. I will never fit in the classes here! lol, I'm too nice.

Anywho, ttyl.

RUDE PEOPLE

There isn't much that bothers me in life, but rude people definitely make me angry!

People here DO NOT know how to say excuse me! They will plow you down on a street and not even pay you any mind. If I even think I'm going to get too close to your personal space, I will say excuse me, point blank. The phrase is shorter in spanish too! Freaken lazies! lol. All they have to do is say permiso n I'd completely forgive them.

At the club I went to on Friday night, this one girl kept smacking me with her hair and stepping on my toes. I wanted to die because her hair was wet with her sweat and it smacked my arm like 5 times! Absolutely disgusting. I was ready to pull her hair out of her head when my friend Diana pulled me away to a spot with less people. lol.

Another thing, when you smile at people here, they never smile back. lol. I've played myself so many times smiling at people. haha. At least in Philly they smile back at you, regardless of how hood or gangsta a person is. lol. This is terrible.

Anywho, until next time, besos!

BEST WEEKEND OF MY LIFE, NOT JUST IN BA

So, this weekend was absolutely amazing! It started with Thursday and has been great ever since. Too bad it ends tonight! :'(

Thursday: I went to go see a Tango show called Tramatango! It was ridiculous. Made me want to get up and dance with them. We saw it on Avenida Corrientes which is the Broadway of South America. They even have some of the big ads like on Broadway in New York. Just being on the street felt so amazing. And to top it off, I sat in the 4th row from the front! What the heck?! You couldn't even understand how happy it made me to be able to get lost in the dance of passion and watch as the couples danced all over the stage. I wanted to be them in that very moment. I wanted to be on that stage smiling and dancing that gorgeous dance. It truly made an impression on me and inspired me to learn the tango as flawlessly as they performed it.

As if that wasn't great enough, Friday night I went to a Cuban salsa club! If you know me, you know I am in love with salsa, BUT Cuban salsa is soooo different from the salsa I know. So, I went with two friends of mine and we decided to go to the lessons beforehand. Little did I know, a GOD would be teaching the lesson for the group I decided to join. It was love at first sight for me. lol. But really, he's hot. Anywho, so we learned a bunch of fun spinny stuff and then had to move around to partners so we could dance with everyone and I kept getting paired with (can you guess) the HOT instructor. lol. And he learned my name and said it like a million times that night. And then, he kept using me to demonstrate moves to everyone. Tell me that's not heaven! After all the lessons, when the club opened, the night was just amazing. Danced for 7 hours, talked to the instructors, met other Americans, met Argentines, and had an amazing night. As I was leaving, I turned around to wave goodnight to my favorite dance instructor. He looked offended that I'd leave without walking over to him, so he ran over to me and told me goodnight. Then, he kissed me on my cheek and told me how pretty he thinks I am! oh heaven! Love it! lol, so you see, perfect night!

Saturday: a very inspiring day. While the rest of the world is focused on helping out Haiti (understandably), the Southern Cone of South America is more focused on helping out our neighbors in Chile. Argentina threw a benefit concert with a few very famous and grammy-winning Argentine bands in order to collect water and food for those who lost everything in the 2 earthquakes they've had in the past month. The concert was so amazing. They had so much to give to Chile as well. It was called Argentina abraza a Chile (Argentina hugs Chile is a direct translation). If you know anything about Argentina, you'd know that Chile and Argentina have never been the best of friends but it's amazing how much Latinos will support each other. Afterwards, we went to dinner and hit up a local bar and then I went home to bed!

Sunday: Very chill day. I've just been walking around and exploring more of my area. I went to another open air market where everything was even cheaper than the last. I bought a pair of sandals for 15 pesos. In American dollars, that's about $3.90! Go me! I also bought 2 pairs of earrings for under one American dollar! Then I came home, chilled, ate dinner and now the weekend is over! :'(

BUT WHAT AN AMAZING WEEKEND IT WAS.

The Zoo in BA

So, yesterday my friends and I decided to take a trip to the zoo, which was sooooo fun! BUT I have a few funnies for you!

1. They have COWS in the zoo. COWS I said! Haha, never thought I'd see the day.

2. They have CAPYBARA walking around the zoo outside of cages! They just walk up to you and sniff you. I didn't even realize a capybara was a real animal! Oh, ignorance is bliss.

3. There were monkeys and birds in the same cage! Who the heck would ever put those animals together? oh, Buenos Aires!

4. They also had donkeys and deer! WTH! I'm about to tell these people just to go to North America and they'll see it all. Haha

Anywho, it was a great time for sure. Between laughing at the random animals in the zoo and at the monkeys cleaning each others' butts, it was a great time! They also had your typical zoo animals aka the ones from Africa! ie: Lions, tigers, elephants, wild cats, and tons of monkeys! I had so much fun and it was fairly easy to get to!

Falling in LOVE with Art

So, yesterday I went to San Telmo which is a barrio (neighborhood) in Buenos Aires. On Sundays, they have an open market for the public. They sell antiques, art, clothing, jewelry, and everything else you can possibly think of. Then there are musicians, dancers, and singers scattered on different streets performing for the crowds of people who are filling up the streets. There are mimes and the people who look like statues as well.

I got the chance to see an older couple doing the tango and I couldn't control myself. I fell in love with the Tango. I already know that I wanted to learn the tango but after seeing them perform, I felt it was more a calling than anything. If I don't learn the tango before I leave Argentina, I will not leave. My determination to achieve is at an all time high and I will be doing the tango when I return to the states. For those who don't know, San Telmo and La Boca (another barrio) are known for the tango in argentina. It's where the best have learned and practiced.

Also, words can't express my feelings about the art that was presented for sale. There were photographs, paintings, and mini murals all over the barrio. The colors were so vibrant and every piece of art was an attraction for me. I wanted to buy it all. The art really screamed out to me and expressed every bit of culture that is hidden behind the walls of the beautiful homes here. Just being able to experience this opportunity has really opened my eyes to all that I want to achieve. The expression of the art was so evident and made me fall so deeply in love with this rich Argentine culture. Previously, I compared a lot to my own culture but after that experience, I realized that the differences are obvious but neither culture is more supreme than the other. And now both cultures hold a special place in my heart.

While at the market, I couldn't help but to dance a little and to smile at those performing. If I was ever to have a bad week here, I know that San Telmo is the place that I would need to be to life my spirits. I had such an amazing time and I will never forget that remarkable experience.

Wish you all could have experienced it with me.

Fun Facts About Life in BA

They drink coffee at all hours! Breakfast, lunch and dinner. BUT, they don't have coffee to go here, the waiters deliver coffee to businesses in the area and come back to get the glasses afterwards. What the heck?

Coffee isn't the only thing they have all the time here. Dulce de leche is this sweet and delicious treat that is smeared on everything. And they also put a thick layer of cheese on everything! Sounds great to most, BUT not to someone who's lactose intolerant! oh boy, it's horrible because I love both things!

Clearly as Americans, we rush too much. Argentines take their time for everything! Nothing starts or ends on time, which can be frustrating. Time is not of the essence here. People stop to look in store windows regardless of if they're running late already.

Music! Where is it? In the US, there's music playing in every store and every car that drives by. Here, it's not that common. And that very fact is driving me nuts! lol, as an American, I NEED music 24/7. Although it's a rare occurrence here, I heard someone blasting music yesterday and HE was jamming. To what, you ask? Beyonce's Put a Ring On It. lmao... wtf?

Social class is pretty evident here as well. I live in a middle class neighborhood and I have a maid! She comes 2 days a week and it's amazing! I don't have to clean anything! whooo! lol. The homeless people here remind me a lot of the ones in Philly; sleeping all over the place in the streets but many have torn up mattresses. Also, a lot of them send out their small children to ask foreigners for money which works normally I suppose.

Appearance doesn't seem too important here. I mean, everyone dresses nicely but very rarely do I see girls with styled hair which is a little weird to me. I stopped doing mine so I fit in and it actually works. When I did do my hair in a tight ponytail one day, everyone stared at me all crazy! lol.

Public transportation is interesting. The supte (subway) is wooden and really old school. It's always super hot because there's no air conditioning but it's a convenient way to travel. During rush hour, however, it gets pretty hard to breathe. I like the bus but that's hard during rush hour as well. What I have noticed is that people always give their seats up to older people and I really like that.

Class registration is HORRENDOUS and I'll never complain again about how hard it is at Temple. Everything is just so unorganized and you can never find out where your class is supposed to be and many times it changes the day it begins without warning.

Politics are very much alive in Argentina. They hate the President here and say she's like a female Bush. Since I've been here, I've seen 2 protests against her. It's actually super interesting.

Anywho, hope you enjoyed! Besos til next time!

Partying in Buenos Aires

Sooooo, let me offer to you a few pieces of advice before partying at the boliches (night clubs) in Buenos Aires with Argentines.

First of all, ask them what time of music will be played.

Second of all, if you've never heard of that type of music, youtube it to see what it sounds like and then decide if you be able to stand it.

Thirdly, if they say the word electronica, don't bother looking it up and definitely don't go!

It's 5:15 am and I'm just getting in from a few hours of "partying". I went out with my friend Kristin (from Texas) and her host sister and her host sister's friends. Now, I love them all but we went to the most awful club I've ever been to. The music was like rave music and reminded me of White Chicks where the guy was half naked on the floor using a whistle. The crazy thing is that this club is supposed to be exclusive, like you have to be important to get in and clearly we were with the right girls. Or in my case, the wrong girls. The strobe lights went nonstop and were killing my eyes. Argentines love smoking so the place was filled with smoke, the music was terrible and it got entirely too packed. So now I know never to go to another electronica club again. Lesson learned...

The People in Argentina and the life here

I've noticed that people here aren't nearly as nice as people in the Caribbean. When you smile at them, they look at you like you're crazy. I thought it was normal to say hi and smile at people but apparently it's not ok here. lol. Not many people smile here either, it's weird. But everyone here looks European so sometimes I feel like I can speak English to them because they all look like what it looks like in america. EXCEPT there's no black people here. I truly have only seen two since I got here. Anywho, I've been taking the bus everyday, looking like a local. But here they have no sense of personal space because the buses are so packed all the time. lol. And you also don't have to wait more than 3 minutes for a bus because they come constantly, sometimes there's 4 in a line picking people up. But they drive like bats out of hell and when you're getting off, the chances are that the bus is still moving. lol. I haven't taken the Supte (subway) yet but I will definitely write about it once i do. That's all for now. I'm getting ready to go to a club tonight so I hope all goes well! Buenas noches!

My first days en Buenos Aires

So, today was my second day of getting to experience Buenos Aires. There are so many things that are different here, especially the language! There's so much to tell. I'll start from my travels on Sunday the 21st...
Sunday the 21st, I left from Philadelphia airport around 4:30pm and went to Fort Worth/Dallas airport. From there, I left at 9:30pm and the next morning at 9:50am I arrived in Santiago de Chile. It was a 10 hour flight and was the most horrific thing I've ever had to endure. I couldn't believe how bad my back and neck hurt. Then, I hopped on a flight to Buenos Aires which only took about 2 hours. Upon arrival in BA, I paid my fees and walked right through customs. Yes, that's right, I said walked right through customs. I didn't even go through a metal detector! I was so surprised that I could breeze through customs like that! Then, to my dismay, the man who was supposed to pick me up wasn't there at the time of my arrival. Being alone in a foreign country, I freaked and started crying. 15 minutes later, he showed up, put me in a taxi, paid the taxi and said adios. I cried the entire way to my host mother's house! lol. Upon meeting her, my world changed. She's so amazing and she spoils me crazily! She cooks for me everyday and it's great.
Since I've been here, I've done mostly just orientation which is terrible boring. Taking placement tests as well to see if we need extensive spanish practice. I'm having a bit of trouble with the accent because it's so different! I speak like such a puerto rican! Anywho, for the next 2 weeks, i will be doing this orientation stuff so I'm sure nothing too exciting will occur. I do go around the different barrios (neighborhoods) in the city though so that I may see what it's like. The people here are very standoffish and rather rude, but it's also not central america where everyone is super nice. The people here look so different! It's like America without the black people! Redheads and brunettes and blondes with blue eyes and gray eyes and brown eyes. I finally fit in somewhere! lol. Anywho, that's all for now! I think I'm going to a club tonight! wish me luck! Besos to all who read this!