Felicia in Argentina: October 2010

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Argentina and its ways

THINGS I HAVE LEARNED ABOUT ARGENTINA AND ARGENTINE'S SINCE BEING HERE:

1.) They highly disapprove of people eating on the streets- example: one day a friend and I were eating some pastries we had just bought while walking down the street and this older woman sitting on a stoop started just yelling at us in Spanish and kept asking us why we would do that. You'll also receive many dirty and confused looks.
2.) Jackets/coats/cold weather gear is always worn, ALWAYS. Even if it is really cold outside.
3.) They use hand gestures on a daily basis to explain what they are saying.
4.) Comments such as "fat one"and "how ugly he/she is"is very common and acceptable and are not seen as rude.
5.) Most Argentine's consider themselves Italians
6.) Crosswalks are more of general guidelines that don't necessarily need to be followed- meaning that you don't need to wait for the walking light to come on, rather dodging traffic is commonly done. Also you may get hit by a bus on any given day- pedestrians don't have the right of way.
7.) Cars are rarely ever in an actual lane, nor do most drivers follow any sort of driving laws. I haven't worn a seatbelt in a cab since being here.
8.) McDonalds and BK Lounge are usually 3 floors and packed with people. They are classy here. Other than these two places fast food does not exist here, meaning you can not get food quicker than 30 minutes.
9.)To get your check to pay for a meal, you have to find the waiter.
10.) Nightlife starts around 2 AM and can go til around 8 in the morning. Parents think it is weird if their kids don't go out.
11.) It is not possible for any woman to walk down a street in BA without hearing, "que linda," kissing sounds, whistles, or be stared at intensely. I once had a guy say in a whisper while I walked by for me to give him my number. He was a security guard.
12.) Argentine time is perfect for me as 8 AM is considered early. Even 10 AM is early. If you were to walk around the city at 8 AM you would think it was a ghost town because everyone is still sleeping.
13.) Every morning, anyone who has cement in front of his/her house or business washes it down with water. Every morning.
14. ) Dog poop is everywhere, you just have to master the art of not stepping in it. I have literally seen a person walking their dog, watch it poop, and then go on their way.
15.) Smiling while walking on the streets is very rare, mainly because if a girl smiles or makes eye contact with a guy it basically means that you're into him.
16.) Besos on the cheek are a normal greeting- which I love!
17.) Lines to take the colectivo just happen- it is very orderly
18.) Dulce de leche is in everything and everywhere!
19.) They have the most amazing pastries and ice cream.
20.) A change of seasons is very highly celebrated. The beginning of Spring- everyone had "Feliz Primavera"on the windows of restaurants and businesses.
21.) Fruit is considered a dessert
22.) Mate is a part of daily life and everyone here drinks it
23.) Change is rarely ever available- in other words if you have a 100 peso bill, you may be denied from buying something that is 0-20 pesos, because the store doesn't want to give you the change.

Peregrinacion Juvenil a Lujan 10/2-10/3

Before leaving- we all got lanyards and numbers to keep track of who was in our group

All of the people doing the walk

In the afternoon- millions of people

Approaching night, you can see the Virgin of Lujan being carried by people walking

The Peregrinacion Juvenil a Lujan is a pilgrimage to the city of Lujan which is the faith capital of Argentina. Every year, people make the trek of 70 km. (5o miles) from Buenos Aires to the province of Lujan by foot. By bus, the province of Lujan is about a 1.5/2 hour ride and by foot it is about a whole day. You leave Buenos Aires around 1 in the afternoon on Saturday and embark on a journey that you will never forget. You arrive to Lujan at around 5 in the morning with breaks in between. A friend and I went on this journey with the church that we go to here in Buenos Aires (El Redondo) and there were about 200 of us who participated in the pilgrimage from our church- all younger kids around our age.In total there are about a million or more people who participate in the walk. While walking you see people who are doing the walk alone, families, friends, and people from all social classes. It's just really cool to see how everyone comes together for faith! Our group stopped about every 4 hours to eat and have a bathroom break. Each 4 hours the walk became tougher and tougher. Around 10 at night, we had our 3rd break and I was in so much pain, that after talking with the doctor, she recommended that I call it quits and go into the micro(bus) that was waiting at the side, but that I could still join the rest of the group when they got to Lujan. I was pretty disappointed in myself for not being able to finish the whole pilgrimage, but also looked at what I had already accomplished and how far I had already walked- probably about 35 miles. I went into the micro where other fallen walkers were nestled and tried to just get my body back to feeling good. The man had told me that they would let us know when the mass was in the morning, but when it was time for the mass, but no one ever came and told us on the bus that we could get out, so we drove back to Buenos Aires all without me seeing the Basilica de Lujan or going to the mass. While it may seem like it was a total fail, it wasn't! I was able to participate in one of the most religious movements in Argentina where people of all walks of life come to embark on a religious and faith filled journey. I was a part of that!

ROSARIO-9/25- 9/26

This was one of my trips with ISA (my study abroad program) and is the third largest city in Argentina, behind Buenos Aires and Cordoba, as well as the birth place of Che Guevara and Messi. It was a 6 hour bus ride away and we arrived around 3 in the afternoon where we were able to indulge in every type of food/meat possible at an Argentine parilla (BBQ). This place was huge and presented a big problem when I realized I didn't know how to say certain parts of meat in Spanish, such a ribs, when having to tell the servers what I wanted. I figured I would just say "Can I just have some beef?" The server gave me a look as if to say all of this meat is beef, but randomly picked a rib and I was set. I was also able to get my flan on and experienced a crepe filled with dulce de leche (of course!) for the first time- which was absolutely delicious. After filling my stomach with too much food, we went on a boat tour of the city. The end of this tour ended up turning into a karaoke fest, where the woman who was supposed to be singing started to prey on people in the audience to sing songs. This excursion was a 2 day excursion so we were staying in a hotel and had free time for the rest of the night. For dinner, my friends and I found a restaurant that was right on the river with an absolutely gorgeous view of the moonlight shining down. The next day consisted of a city tour by bus, where our last stop was el Monumento a la Bandera (flag monument). This spot marks the first place where Rosario raised it's city flag. The monument is huge and is located in the center of the city. We also went inside a church nearby which houses an altar for the Virgin of Lujan. After the tour we had free time again, so we went to go eat some lunch and then since it was such a beautiful day bought a kite and flew it in the park. These are the days that really stand out, when you just relax and enjoy every moment.

One of the little parks in Rosario

In the Monumento a la Bandera

More Monumento a la Bandera

The common image of the Monument

Fish market in Rosario

Some friends and I in front of the bridge and Rosario's little beach

Dinner near the Parana River

On the boat cruise

The city scape of Rosario

Some friends and I on the boat cruise

La Boca y zoologico de Lujan

LA BOCA

Diego Maradona- beloved soccer player and coach of the World Cup team

El Caminito de La Boca- with a statue of Maradona on top

La Boca!

A lot of the neighborhood

Big picture of La Boca

ZOOLOGICO DE LUJAN

Getting acquainted with the little guy

Little baby lion

Camel!

Big lion!

Baby tiger!

Zoologico de Lujan:

This zoo is unlike any zoo I have heard of or seen before. After a trek to Lujan which is another province of Argentina- about a 1.5/2 hour bus ride outside of the city, we arrived to the Lujan zoo. Walking into this place you would never associate the word zoo with the looks of it. We were given a map which we quickly discovered held no relevance in any direction of the zoo, but all we knew was that we wanted to see some animals. This zoo is different because you get to hold, touch, and be near some of the animals. We found the first cage, which was the cage where you get to hold the baby lion. We were so excited to be able to touch a baby lion, that when it was our turn to enter the cage my roomate and I about died. The zoo lady hands you the baby lion and you get to cradle it in your arms, but no touching the lion's head, as I quickly learned when I was petting his cub's head and got yelled at. The little guy was sleeping the whole time, which could be a sign that he was drugged. Let's just say this zoo is not something that animal rights activists would approve of for the most part. For the baby lion's they say they raise them with puppies to make them more calm, but this lion cub was asleep for a very long time. The next cages where we got to pet animals were the tiger and lion cages. It was pretty cool to be next to animals that we normally associate with as being scary!

La Boca:

My roomate and I had decided that we were going to be very productive, leaving around 11 which is considered early in Argentine time, and go explore the oh so famous barrio of La Boca. We ended up taking a colectivo, feeling proud of ourselves and making ourselves comfortable on the bus because we had left so early. After a few minor speed bumps, such as our bus driver stopping the bus to yell for about 5 minutes at a man who had pulled his car out in front of our bus, Julie and I realized we had been on the bus for over an hour. After about another 30 minutes in the bus, we arrived at La Boca, the famous multi-colored barrio of Argentina. It's a pretty touristy place and people with cameras are seen in abundance, but it still a very traditional and beautiful place. All of the building are different colors and key figures to Argentina's history are made into statues. There is also immense pride for the soccer team that represents the barrio of La Boca, Boca Juniors and Maradona. All around a beautiful place that I'd like to go back to before I leave.

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Argentina vs. Espana Futbol Game!!

Let the game begin!

The stadium!

More of it

and more..

Celebrating after Argentina killed Spain- 4-0!

This was one of the most epic, amazing experiences of my life! The teams that played in this game were the actual world cup teams, meaning the winning 2010 world cup team (Spain) as well as Messi were playing! Just getting into the stadium you experience a new sense of pride, excitement, and almost instantly become a fan of the game of futbol. Getting to my seat was a task in itself, as my roommate and I arrived about 5 minutes late to the game. Apparently for Argentine's this is the one thing that people actually pay attention to time for, or are actually early to. After having to push through passionate Argentine's with "permiso"as my only excuse, and then walking in front of about 18 fans sitting down, I finally made it to my seat. Being in the midst of a sold out game, watching the world cup teams play in Argentina was a completely unreal experience. I can't explain how it was here, it is something I will never forget! I forgot to mention that my roommate and I didn't buy our tickets together, so she was one row in front of me and I was right behind her, 2 Argentines at my sides, life couldn't get any better. Chants were sung constantly throughout the game and everyone knew them. When Argentina scored, the whole stadium got up, flinging towels/shirts in the air, waving arms in the air crazily, anything to celebrate the win. Also it is important to note that if Messi scored a goal, there was

a special chant just for him. It is crazy how much they love him here, it's kind of incredible. Argentina ended up winning the game, 4-0! WOO!!!

The excitement after a goal!