Patience, Past (experiences), Progress

The brain juice is quite low, but I'm happy to report that I finished two papers in two days for my Gender and Journalism classes here! I had to go straight from hosting Maddie to exercising my poor little brain neurons. So, I decided I'd backtrack to the fine days of hosting before my papers snuck up on me like that evil gnome in the Travelocity commercials.

[Side ponder: What's that gnome's story anyway? Is he a gentler character like Doc the dwarf or just an all out creep? I bet he'd whip up some fine cookies, cue Keebler, if he'd take a break from his travels.]

I've been in BA for a total of 41 days, something hours and whatever minutes! Maddie's visit gave tangible significance to this fact when I had to use my time and experience here to choose activities and show her around.

I spoke Spanish as we easily maneuvered our way around the city and in the company of someone from home, noticed the seemingly little, yet now decent, progress I've made:

You want to talk about fruits of labor?
Try this mystery seeded fruit. 

-I can hold a conversation with a taxi cab driver for more than 10 minutes
-I can better decipher the overly complicated Guia T in order to decide which of the 1,000s of collectivos (bus) to take, WHICH includes reading a map!
-I can chat with my ever-changing deskmen who wish me a 'buen día' o 'buenas tardes' each time I enter or leave
-I've adopted customs, such as only hailing 'Radio' taxis, knowing the exact amount to tip for whichever service, and ordering large coffees instead of my usual 'tall' because Argentina's grande < Starbuck's tall.

All these examples to say, I'm beginning to see the light! So help me God!

Epiphany moment at the mimicked gates of Jerusalem in Parque Norte

Okay no, but in reality? I am seeing some fruits of my labor (albeit probably small clementines or blueberries instead of grapefruits and melons), but I know I've still got plenty of time for more growing (or harvesting?).

Check out the A-list for stellar additions from my time spent with Maddie. And stay tuned for a post about Córdoba after this weekend!

Getting Her to First Base (according to Anna)

Everyone has to have a first. 

My dear friend Maddie from Mizzou has been visiting me in Buenos Aires for the past five days. I decided to interview her about her experience, and found that our first series of days (full of nerves, exhaustion and feeling foreign) have unsurprisingly mirrored one another's...

A Chat with Madeline (sworn in with the Guia T Bolsillo aka the city bus guidebook):

Q: Why did you come a weekend early to visit me? Neglecting how cool I am, of course.

A: Because I thought it'd be a blast to spend time in BA with mi mejor amiga (my best friend), and I'd have no better way to kick off my own trip.

Q: How did you feel your very first day here?

A: Well somewhere during the 10 hour flight, I got a little terrified when I realized I had to find my own way to your apartment. It got a little overwhelming... especially when there were no taxis in sight in the middle of a downpour (welcome to Buenos Aires). I learned to take it one step at a time and then it's more manageable.

Q: Have you felt a progression within these five days?

A: Abso-freaking-lutely! I definitely realized that language has so much to do with confidence when you're speaking, and that you need to be humble about the fact that you don't know everything about the language, yet confident that you will learn eventually. 

Q: Have you refined your expectations for your own trip?

A: I probably came in with the expectation that things would be a lot smoother than they have been or will be. Now I expect that I'll probably order food at the wrong place, or the wrong food at the right place, or something completely disgusting. Basically that there's no way to survive if you can't laugh at yourself at the end of the day. I've also become more comfortable with the fact that I'll have bad days.

Q: What are you most excited about for when you head to the land of wine, mountains and... wine, aka Mendoza?

A: I'm most excited about all the people I'm about to meet. Not just the people in my group, but my host family and the people I'll be taking classes with. 

Q: Do you feel you're capable of preparing the entire city of Mendoza for my arrival come May? 

A: If anyone can do it, it's definitely me. I have all the rumors of the American red-head ready for circulation.

[No follow-up question to that.]

Q: Back to Buenos Aires, what has been the most 'A-HA!' moment you've had thus far?

A: THIS is how I withdraw cash.

Q: The most nerve-wrecking?

A: OH MY GOD, I can't withdraw cash.

Q: And finally, what has been your favorite experience in Buenos Aires?

A: NO offense to you (there was some taken), but my favorite experience was the day I spent alone in BA... which I credit all to you because I couldn't have been as prepared at finding out everything as quickly if I hadn't had your help. It just felt liberating to take a bus where I wanted to go and have fun there, you know wandering around until I found something unique. 

We would put Dora to shame.

Q: Anything else you'd like to add, missy?

A: Thank god I had such a talented, beautiful, intelligent, crazy friend to show me the way to first base. 

[No I did not pay her to say that. However, was it muttered with a hint of sarcasm? Perhaps...]

To read her own perspective of 'Getting Her to First Base', see Maddie's blog! 

Moda de Argentina Part II: Style

So I've realized that in order to dissect Argentine fashion, I first need to try and generally define its characteristic traits. It's like human anatomy. Without describing the overall state of the body (age, gender, height, etc.), how will the juicy details (such as how damaged the hair is and placement of beauty marks) make sense? Okay, I realize that metaphor was a stretch, but you know the point I'm trying to make. So, here goes my attempt to roughly describe the style in Argentina before looking deeper at its parts that make up the whole.

Fashion Tip #2: Try hard to look like you're not trying at all.
[Disclaimer: this post may be generation-biased. Folks above the age of 30 certainly can indulge in Argentine style, however you may want to take caution with skirt lengths and the like.]

Hot shot

The situation: The temperatures are rising and so are the standards for fashion during the summer. Personally, I find it harder to be fashion-forward during these sweltering months because I can't rely on my trusty layering strategy. Instead, you have to make one or two pieces interesting with accessories, beauty techniques or simply standing alone. It's an art, I must say, because when you look hot (literally sweating and panting for some air conditioning), you look like you've tried too hard.

 The solution: Suck it up, wear what you want and face the climbing degrees. I've seen many a girl in skinny jeans or leggings this past month holding their heads high and strutting as if they were invincible to weather and fashion critics.
The compromise: I've seen many an airy dress and peasant top here, of which I've most definitely embraced. However, to make the outfit altogether more interesting, I suggest one rely on color, shape or pattern. No pattern is too crazy in Argentina and shapes can help you play with your natural bodily proportions (for instance, I like to dress myself tall with high-waisted shorts). Not to mention, bright colors compliment vacation-tanned skin on the women and men here. So go on, wear your tank-top and shorts (yes, shorts DO exist in Argentina. I don't know where that rumor stemmed from), just branch out and stay cool. After all, who wants to look like style doesn't come naturally?

Limeade may be my new favorite summer accessory.

property of: Scott Schuman

Día de San Valentín (Besos y La Boca)

Happy Valentine's Day to all out there!

Talk about a disputed day. Some say it's purely a Hallmark holiday based on commercialism. Some get romantic and use the day to dive deep into cheese-dom (such as my Valentine). I just hope some can find passion for something or someone amidst the fog of pink and red. After all when it comes down to it, I think the individual gets to decide how she or he wants to show love for a special person, moment, activity or possession, not a corporation or societal norms.

Speaking of disputation! The novelty of La Boca... to love or not to love?

A set stage on Caminito

It's a question without a clear-cut answer. I personally felt I was in the heart of tourism during my visit to the very most Southern part of Buenos Aires. This sentiment probably is a result of the stark contrast we observed walking from a nicer part of the city, San Telmo, through the streets of La Boca to its main attraction (aside from the Boca fútbol stadium), el Caminito.

[History sidenote: La Boca was where the Italian and Spanish immigrants alike used to hangout because it was a major port.  However the yellow fever came along and the wealthier Spanish abandoned the Italian population for the more isolated, and thus healthier, regions in the North.]

La Boca is rumored to be the most dangerous part of town, and with reason. It hosts the largest crime rate in the city. El Caminito though is a little safe haven for those tourists who go to see the 'authentic,' brightly painted buildings and tango culture. My impression? El Caminito may be based on true love, but in hardly any way is it authentic. The paint was too touched up, the stores were all identical selling staple shot glasses and postcards, and performers were lurking around every corner waiting to make a buck off you for a picture (ask some of the people on my program!).

Some graffiti a ways away from Caminito

La Boca's genuine atmosphere? Well, that's much better represented by the condition of its bridges and port. There's no getting around the fact that there's more poverty here and that it's not as well kept as the other parts of Buenos Aires. However, I found a subtle charm in the laid back market stands and relaxed restaurants further from Caminito that exposed Boca's true (navy and yellow) colors. As for the smell of waste, not so much.  

The port, water pollution included.

¡Basta!

It's about time I inform you of Mafalda- a young Argentine icon that rivals Evita in popularity. Fortunately for Ms. Perón, Mafalda is two-dimensional and never grew out of her frizzy hair and Mary-Janes... seeing as how she's a cartoon character.

Tell 'em Mafalda

[You may be asking yourself, "What is it with you and cartoon characters, Anna?" But it's not me this time with the fascination, it's the fine people of Argentina! And as a culturally conscious guest, I too have adopted the obsession. So there.]

Mafalda is kind of like the Argentine equivalent to Charlie Brown. Juáquin Salvador Lavado aka Quino (his pen name) gave Mafalda life in 1964, and between then and 1973, Mafalda reminisced about world peace and humanity. She was quite a cynical six-year-old who criticized society and rebelled against it, teaching all her viewers lessons along the way.

Hmmm, I guess this post turned out being an obituary for a cartoon character. Oh, well. Long live Malfalda!

Oh, and here's a shameless pitch for my director, Carolina Escudero. She just sent me a link to the published article she wrote (in French) about Mafalda. If only I could understand ze most romantic language that is French... and sit beneath the eiffel tower all day munching on cheese and sipping wine, with the Amélie soundtrack playing in the background... oops. What am I saying? I'm in Argentina. Excuse me for the digression. For the French-speakers: « Arrêtez le monde, je veux descendre ! », Mafalda, 5 ans

MIL (Most Improved Learner)

I have finally begun my first internship for the program! I'm putting many a lessons under my belt already...  I plan on being the MIL (most improved learner) upon my departure from BA.

For instance, the most helpful phrases I've learned in Spanish thus far are (thanks to mi equipo):
"Deberíamos haber + verbo" = "We should have + action we really should've done"
"Vos sabes dónde está la parada para + nombre de calle" = "Do you know where the (bus) stop is for + name of the street of which we have no idea how to get to"
"Más despacio, por favor" = "Much slower, please" (as in you're speaking way too dang fast for me to even begin to comprehend your Castellano Spanish)

One thing debería haber hecho? Done my research.

Do your research:
-I went to a press conference for Greenpeace (an international environmental organization) last week regarding a 'short' aka a public service announcement that it was launching. The short featured Ricardo Darín narrating the dangers of carbon emissions and the affects on upcoming generations.
Don't know who Darín is? Neither did I... until after the conference. Turns out he's one of 'the faces of Argentina' as a result of his extensive acting career. Something about winning an Oscar last year, that sort of thing.

[On that note: I'd like to say I made eye contact with him quite a few times. May or may not have been the fact that I appear to be a ghost in contrast to all the bronzed bodies in the room... we'll go with because he knew I was going to write an extremely compelling story about the conference.]

Unfortunately, I probably could've taken more advantage of the situation and asked a few questions in shaky Spanish if I had known. Or I could've at least shaken the man's hand and taken a picture with him. Lesson learned.

Here's the short for you guys to enjoy. The animations pretty much communicate what you may or may not be able to understand from Darín's Spanish.

¿WWCarolinaD?

Our 'equipo,' aka my program's group, is starting to cross the line from tourists to residents. With the help of porteños, many rides on public transportation, and a healthy dose of curiosity, we're slowly learning the customs and geography of this large cosmopolitan city.

Through this process of live and learn, trial and error, 'oooh, ahora sabemos' (oooh, now we know), one thing has remained stable- Carolina gives the best recommendations.  

Carolina's Recommendations (executed):
1. Azúcar- a bumping salsa club that is full of patient locals ready to teach and share the love of salsa.
2. El Tigre- a wonderful escape from the hustle and bustle of BA (see prior post).
3. Ciudad Cultural Konex- a big o culture shock of themed nights and outside partying. Think an island spring break in the middle of the city.
4. Plaza Serrano- half outside market, half local designer department store. Absolutely amazing shopping experience.
5. Viruta- a tango venue that also hosts swing classes on Sunday nights. Class A people-watching. Slow, slow, quick, quick.

So what are our plans for this weekend? Ask Carolina.

Moda de Argentina Part I: Zapatos (SHOES)

I'm sure all who know me pretty well have been secretly thinking, "Anna, you're a fashion freak goddess. Why the curious lack of fashion comments and style tips?" Well my fond followers, I'll tell you why.

I've been thoroughly investigating the fashion and lifestyle here for the past two and a half weeks to gain a good grasp of how an Argentine dresses. This investigation has included: keen observation (aka people watching, but not in a creepy way... okay, maybe), window-shopping in various fashion districts, and trying out some looks myself.

I shall shovel out the specifics of Argentine fashion (rather than feet of snow like the Midwest at the moment) in the form of a periodical mini-series. And what other sector of fashion shall I start with than  my obsession: SHOES.

Say hello to the newest addition to my shoe family-

Natacha gladiator sandals

They're strappy, suited for various occasions, and fit like a glove. These popular characteristics lead me to...

Fashion Tip #1: When in doubt, wear flats.

[I'm aware that this tip mostly applies to women. I would say I'm sorry for the gender exclusion, but guys got it good already with the expectations of flat shoes 24/7.]

Heel vs. Flat

The situation: I brought two pairs of heels to Argentina anticipating I may like to wear them to a bar or club. Want to know how much time I've spent in either pair? A total of 2 hours, and 1.45 of those hours were sedentary at a restaurant. Needless to say, there's copious amounts of walking here and shoes make a difference. Also, try dancing until 5 or 6 a.m. in 4.5 inch stilettos (this situation is hypothetically speaking, of course). Good luck.  

The solution: Wear flats. Not just any flats though. Go strappy and clingy, like a traditional tango dress.

The compromise: Wear wedges or half-heels. Both are in style here, probably due to the fact that porteños rightfully know the pains of blistered heels and sore arches. However, the greater cause of looking trendy cannot be risked.