One of the most interesting parts of the programs for me has been our course excursions. We have been forced to talk to strangers on the street and in the park about random topics in castellano, and recently my Spanish class visited the Cromanon memorial site.
The Cromanon had been a totally happening club in the Once district, and on December 30, 2004 the Callejeros, a local BsAs band with a cult following, was playing. The club promoters wanted to make as much money as possible that night, so they chained shut all the emergency exits to keep people from sneaking in. This plan went horribly awry when a fire started in the club and no one could get out. To add to the horror, there was a nursery on the floor above the club, and the babies and their caretakers perished in the fire as well. In total 192 people died that night and more than 700 were injured. Almost all of the victims were between the ages of 14-24.
The memorial site is covered with photographs, poems, and the shoes that the victims were wearing that night. Seeing several hundred pairs of dirty converses is pretty intense.
In our history/econonmics seminar, we learned about the Peronist policy everyone here holds so close to their hearts. Peron was basically the F.D.R. of Argentina, in that he socialized the country. Large projects gave people the jobs they so desperately needed, social services were nationalised so that they were accessible to everyone, and folks got paid vacation. It was kind of like Poland under soviet control. Only with fewer mortalities. This history of socialization has contributed to the alternative economic development policies that have sprung up since then. For example, Argentina is home to the phenomenon of 'fabricas recuporadas,' or factories that had been shut down by the owners after the economic crisis of 2001/2 but have sinve been reclaimed and reopened by the workers. They function in different ways, but usually the factories are now run entirely by workers, often everyone receives the same pay, and decisions are made in a group meeting democratically. Another social movement that is taking place here is the trabajadoros desocupados: unemployed workers band together and form cooperatives and work together to create jobs and provide services to the community. I visited the MTD LM cooperative, where they started a bakery school, a seamstress workshop, and a preschool. They sell pan dulce to raise money for the school, the preschool is free for the community, and they export the clothing they make to Italy, Japan, Canada, Germany, and the U.S.
Sunday, March 18, 2007
vamos a la playa
The highlight of my semester so far has been my weekend trip to Pinamar with 5 of my friends. We took a night bus to the ocean (well, some of us did. Some of us took it to the middle of nowhere and had to find their way to the ocean) before we crashed in a beach side hostel.
This place was amazing! All of Saturday it POURED, but we decided to hang out on the beach anyways. Pat had his guitar, Isaac had his mate, Colleen had her camera, and Erin, Evan and I were great company. We met some really great and interesting people in the hostel. Ghisela is a Castellano/English professor and actually taught SIT classes back in the day. Sergio and Clara were a really cool couple renting the double room in the hostel. Sergio is a poet and an anthropologist conducting research on international perceptions of smiles, and Clara is an actress who works for the Department of Economy. They both spoke English basically perfectly so we ended up communicating in a real medley of idiomas. Some folks i enjoyed hanging out with who did not speak a word of English were a group of lifeguards staying at the hostel. They were all about my age, and were really eager to talk to us. Two of them were Mexican, so whenever i couldn't understand one of the Argentinians, i would ask Omar from Oaxaca to repeat what was said in Mexican Spanish so that i could actually understand. I never would have guessed that my familiarity with Mexican Spanish would be significantly greater than Spanish in general.
That night we had an asado (grilled half a cow) and drank Malbec. Then we went skinny dipping and played on the beach with two of our lifeguard friends accompanying us to make sure the silly Americans didn't drown. Very memorable.
The next day the weather was much improved and matched our spirits. We baked and swam and sang and had an amazing time on la playa. Man, summer feels NICE.
This place was amazing! All of Saturday it POURED, but we decided to hang out on the beach anyways. Pat had his guitar, Isaac had his mate, Colleen had her camera, and Erin, Evan and I were great company. We met some really great and interesting people in the hostel. Ghisela is a Castellano/English professor and actually taught SIT classes back in the day. Sergio and Clara were a really cool couple renting the double room in the hostel. Sergio is a poet and an anthropologist conducting research on international perceptions of smiles, and Clara is an actress who works for the Department of Economy. They both spoke English basically perfectly so we ended up communicating in a real medley of idiomas. Some folks i enjoyed hanging out with who did not speak a word of English were a group of lifeguards staying at the hostel. They were all about my age, and were really eager to talk to us. Two of them were Mexican, so whenever i couldn't understand one of the Argentinians, i would ask Omar from Oaxaca to repeat what was said in Mexican Spanish so that i could actually understand. I never would have guessed that my familiarity with Mexican Spanish would be significantly greater than Spanish in general.
That night we had an asado (grilled half a cow) and drank Malbec. Then we went skinny dipping and played on the beach with two of our lifeguard friends accompanying us to make sure the silly Americans didn't drown. Very memorable.
The next day the weather was much improved and matched our spirits. We baked and swam and sang and had an amazing time on la playa. Man, summer feels NICE.
Second impressions
I think the most indicative sign that I am having an incredible time here is my blog sitting decrepit and abandoned on the web.
Muchisimo has happened since I last wrote, and I will share a few highlights.
First of all, my birthday was fantastic! I've always wished I could celebrate my March birthday when it was warm, so i was thrilled to think that i would be able to here since the southern hemisphere is totally radical and has summer when up north has winter. CHISTE! (Just kidding!) All day it was raining hard and i froze my booty off! It actually rained so hard that they had to shut the subway due to flooding, and the street collapsed in a two or three places around the city. Despite all that, I had a pretty great time. I got woken up by a jazz rendition of Happy Birthday played on the sax:
(photo of rafael)
After classes I went out to a Polish restaurant to celebrate with some of my awesome new friends and my amazingly awesome Argentinian family.
(photo of me and monica)
Speaking of the homestay family: I am in love. That entire not-talking-much thing has not only passed but I've actually chosen to stay home some nights to chat with them and listen to them practice (they play primarily Bossa Nova) instead of exploring every inch of BsAs nightlife. Rafael loves to talk (to the point that he will come find me if Monica isn't home) and has heaps of patience and seems to enjoy figuring out what i am trying to say half the time. Monica has been smiling a lot more, and I like making her laugh. We occasionally talk about how i basically have a super homestay situation, because i have many freedoms (i can go about as i wish) but also have a very active and present family who wants to spend time with me and talk to me.
In addition to being challenged culturally and linguistically, I'm also taking classes. Our program is based in IDES, el institucion de desarrollo economico y social (the institute of economic and social development) We have two classes a day, but 2 to 3 hours each, usually one is Spanish and the other is either our history/economics/social change in Argentina seminar or a seminar about anthrolpoligcal field studies. During breaks and lunch i try to be outside because the neighborhood IDES is in, Palermo, is very pretty, like a modern Paris. There are plenty of parks and beautiful buildings.
(out back and balcony photos)
Muchisimo has happened since I last wrote, and I will share a few highlights.
First of all, my birthday was fantastic! I've always wished I could celebrate my March birthday when it was warm, so i was thrilled to think that i would be able to here since the southern hemisphere is totally radical and has summer when up north has winter. CHISTE! (Just kidding!) All day it was raining hard and i froze my booty off! It actually rained so hard that they had to shut the subway due to flooding, and the street collapsed in a two or three places around the city. Despite all that, I had a pretty great time. I got woken up by a jazz rendition of Happy Birthday played on the sax:
(photo of rafael)
After classes I went out to a Polish restaurant to celebrate with some of my awesome new friends and my amazingly awesome Argentinian family.
(photo of me and monica)
Speaking of the homestay family: I am in love. That entire not-talking-much thing has not only passed but I've actually chosen to stay home some nights to chat with them and listen to them practice (they play primarily Bossa Nova) instead of exploring every inch of BsAs nightlife. Rafael loves to talk (to the point that he will come find me if Monica isn't home) and has heaps of patience and seems to enjoy figuring out what i am trying to say half the time. Monica has been smiling a lot more, and I like making her laugh. We occasionally talk about how i basically have a super homestay situation, because i have many freedoms (i can go about as i wish) but also have a very active and present family who wants to spend time with me and talk to me.
In addition to being challenged culturally and linguistically, I'm also taking classes. Our program is based in IDES, el institucion de desarrollo economico y social (the institute of economic and social development) We have two classes a day, but 2 to 3 hours each, usually one is Spanish and the other is either our history/economics/social change in Argentina seminar or a seminar about anthrolpoligcal field studies. During breaks and lunch i try to be outside because the neighborhood IDES is in, Palermo, is very pretty, like a modern Paris. There are plenty of parks and beautiful buildings.
(out back and balcony photos)
mas que nada
I am in love with Argentina! I love living here! I love drinking mate more than water. I love microfinancing, i love fabricas recuperadas, i love cooperativos. i love the socialists from cuba who are working to spread literacy. I love dancing to cumbia under the stars in an old abandoned mansion. I love knowing the first name of my local grocer lady and that she asks me about my classes. I love the sun. I love warm. I love feeling like i can do anything i want and not feel the constraints and limits of university life. I love being ACTUALLY challenged to learn this language without the unnecessary competitive pressure that is so prevalent at Columbia. I love that i am about to go to rosario, uruguay, and brazil. I love bossa nova music. I love that most of my friends here are actively artists, musicians, philosophers, anthropologists and activists. I love that we are changing our worlds and trying to learn about changing the system down here. I love meeting people who are dedicated to living their lives. I love feeling like i am actually learning. I love meeting great funky people everyday. I love hearing their stories. I love feeling this free and i love the idea of living here permanently.
Who would come visit?
PS- i am in the middle of writing my midterm right now and i am still in a good mood. What is wrong with me you ask? What is RIGHT with me, i answer!
Who would come visit?
PS- i am in the middle of writing my midterm right now and i am still in a good mood. What is wrong with me you ask? What is RIGHT with me, i answer!
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