Scary Movies and Argentine Theaters
Last night I went to see the Spanish horror film [REC]. I won’t reveal plot details, but it was so scary that I spent the entire time (or last 15 minutes of the movie) hiding on Pedro’s shoulder, gaging the scariness of the film by how much he jumped. Afterwards, I came to the conclusion that I should not be allowed to see scary movies in theaters. Too much trouble for everyone involved.
Movie theaters are very well organized, unusual for a country where disorganization rules. When you buy tickets, you also choose the exact seat where you will be sitting. Buying tickets early has benefits.
An average Argentine male
The typical Porteno captured on screen by Burger King.
Milonga Madness
Alessandra, one of my best friends, and her family are touring Argentina, and made a stop in Buenos Aires. I’ve showed them my favorite things: El Cuartito, the Jardin Botanico, and the Ataneo. In return, they brought me to a place I never would have found on my own: La Confiteria Ideal. As a cafe, La Confiteria is sub-par. However, every Saturday afternoon from 2-8, the run-down cafe becomes a milonga. Many older couples, some with experience, others not, dance tango for hours on end. In theory, you can just watch. In reality, you have to dance.
I was forced to dance by an 80 year old named Alberto.
I guess that’s not really fair. He didn’t hold a gun to my head and make me choose between death or dancing. But I just couldn’t bear to disappoint an old man. Anyway, I protested fiercely: “I don’t dance tango. My feet are made of wood. I just arrived in Argentina. I don’t have the right shoes.” No excuse worked. He promised to dance simply and I agreed.
So we danced…and it wasn’t horrible. I let him push and pull me around, concentrating on moving my feet in the right direction. Sometimes I got nervous, but when I relaxed I moved around a lot more easily. All in all, I think I even enjoyed it a little bit.
But my partner Alberto really made the dance interesting. He told me all about foreign girls he taught to dance, even showed me a postcard that one of them sent from France. He kept on saying that he was a widower, but assured me that he wasn’t a sinverguenza (shameless person) and that he thought of me as a daughter.
Anyway, even if you don’t tango at all, you should all go just to talk to good ol’ Albert.
Let’s talk about NOVIOS
One of the greatest problems facing an exchange student in Buenos Aires are relationships. Basically, what are the dating norms? So I asked my Argentine friends Carolina and Euge to explain everything to me (correct me if I’m wrong, chicas….).
There are varying degrees of relationships, depending on committment and interest from “Huesito,” the most casual, to “novios,” the most serious.
“Huesito”- roughly translated into booty call. Basically if you’re lonely, and feel like getting laid, you call your “huesito.” The relationship revolves around sex, nothing more. It is not exclusive.
“Hooking up” or “Seeing someone”- A sexual relationship, but your friends and family know you’re together and there is a degree of emotional attachment. Sometimes these relationships end in ambiguity, with one party severing all connections, and the other left wondering. Can be exclusive or not, depending on agreements between those involved.
“Ser novios”- dating. Very serious. Comes after months of seeing each other. Exclusive. Emotional and sexual relationship. Apparently the step before engagement.
If any readers know anything else about dating norms, please comment.
Babes at Bach Bar
Estelle, Sophie, and I go to one of the most lesbian schools in the entire world. So sometimes we have the urge to throw off the yoke of our male oppressors and go find something familiar. So where did we go? Bach Bar (Cabrera 4390).
Our night began at 00:00 at Freddo, a chain ice cream restaurant. We ordered cucuruchos (cones) loaded with ice cream, which we then proceeded to eat out side. In the middle of winter. Ice cream. It was very cold. Anyway, Estelle nearly passed out for lack of sleep (for reasons mentioned in the previous post) so Sophie and I went to Bach Bar together.
When we got there, a few straight men were trying to get in. The security guards wouldn’t let them in at first, saying “this place is for the ladies,” but eventually relented. Sophie and I then waited for about 20 minutes to be let in as the line got longer and longer, winding around the corner.
Sophie and I got in eventually, checked our coats, bought some beer, and began dancing. We had been dancing for about an hour when a woman and her friend came up and began dancing with us and you know what- the women are just as aggressive as the men. The woman I danced with was a persistent chamucherra (sweet talker) who tried to tell me how cute I was every other second. I am just learning how the straight dating/sex culture works here, so I’m completely lost when it comes to the gay/lesbian scene.
We left the bar around 6. Got home around 7. A little bit early, given some of my nights.
Also, if anyone calls me “antiojos” or “glasses” again, I will brutally murder them. It seems to happen at least once a night when I go out.
How to find lovers (and friends) in Buenos Aires
I’ve decided to write on this topic to celebrate the fact that after a long, one and a quarter month stay in Argentina, my friend Stella is going to get laid. Should it take this long to get laid in Argentina? Not really. There are a lot of single men in Argentina that would love to take you to a telo for 2 hours (the normal time allotment for a sexual activity). Does it take a month and a quarter to find someone worthwhile? You bet.
So. How does one go about finding a lover (or a friend) in Buenos Aires?
First- make one friend. A great way to do this is through friends from the USA who have been to Buenos Aires before. They may know a few people, and introduce you to them via the internet. Go out to coffee or a bar. Begin friendship. Although this sounds hard, it is not at all uncommon. The first weekend in Buenos Aires, nearly everyone on the program met up with friends of friends. I am lucky to be friends with Sophia, who knew Eugenia, a lovely Argentine girl, through a friend. We met up the first weekend, and have been hanging out ever since.
Second- meet their friends. If you become good friends with an Argentine they will introduce you to their friends sooner or later. They may have a party at their house, go to a party at someone else’s house, or meet up at a bar. When you meet these friends, talk to them. As I said in a previous post, parties in Argentina resemble speed dating. You talk to everyone there and eventually find a few people you really get along with. If you want to continue being friends, contact them on Facebook or take their number. If you are really lucky, like my friend Stella, you may even find a lover at one of these parties. She found him at the party of a friend who she had met through another friend.
Third- always speak Spanish. I hate to sound so “Amigos de las Americas,” but speaking Spanish is necessary for relationships. We’re not in Kansas anymore. Speaking English can be alienating for people who only speak Spanish. If you are clustered in a group of USA students, speaking English you will be less approachable, and at the worst, people may think you are talking about them. On a brighter note, Spanish is fun! Learn new expressions and words, talk with people about school, your impressions of Buenos Aires, whatever. If you only know a little bit of Spanish, move around a lot so you can have the same conversation with everybody. (Most people will ask you the same questions.)
So, as you may have noticed, it takes awhile to find a decent lover- a few weeks, perhaps. First friends, then friends of friends, then friends of friends of friends….etc.
If you are lazy, of course, you could probably just grab the first person you find at a boliche.
Grafiteros
Today Pedro and I became grafiteros. He found a construction site covered in beautiful, untouched wood near the Plaza Francia. We went there last night at 1 am and stenciled. The stencils came out beautifully (well, maybe not beautifully, but at least it worked). I wasn’t so sure his would work because it was extremely detailed and made out of paper, but it did! So after that, what did I do? I got paint everywhere. I leaned on the stencils to take a picture, got it all over my coat, all over my hands, and then all over Pedro’s coat. Oh well. I’ll bring gloves and common sense next time!
Oh, on another note- I finally tried the slackline and didn’t fall! (Though that may have had something to do with the fact that I was holding on to someone…) I balanced on one foot for about 9/10ths of a second. Anyway, there were only two people there other than Pedro and Francisco, so I didn’t feel too awkward trying it.
Things I love about BA: Delivery!!!!
One of the best things about Buenos Aires is delivery. You can order alcohol and coffee as well as more common items like pizza and empanadas. And you can order any time during the day. If I want coffee while I’m at work, I simply place a call and an attractive (hopefully) young man brings it to my office. If I’m having a party and we (gasp) run out of booze, I can call delivery and the party can continue.
Long Weekend
My weekend days are divided into two distinct sections- the day and the night, separated by a two hour nap. I usually wake up around 12 and then read, travel, etc. until 7. From 7-9:00 I take a nap, so that I can go out from 11-7.
Friday, Part I
I went with Pedro to the Montana store to look for spray paint, but it was closed. We walked around Belgrano for a bit until we found black paint at a hardware store. After completing our mission, we took the bus to the Plaza Francia to hang out with circus people. If you ever want to find these circus hippies, just look for the triangle of palm trees connected by slacklines (sort of like tightropes). I went home after an hour of watching people run, stumble, and nearly fall across the lines.
Friday, Part II
Estelle, Sophia, and I went to a bar called InFamme for a birthday of someone we hadn’t met before. Which I guess is pretty common because it’s happened like 3 times so far. I sat next to a Columbian girl named Lyda and we talked about how Argentine men are much more sketchy than other Latin American men. One of them came up to her and said “I would leave it all for you” three minutes after making out with another girl.
Saturday, Part I
Read 100 pages of economics texts in Spanish.
Saturday, Part II
Sophia, Francisco, Estelle, and I went out to eat at a Tucumanian restaurant in Barrio Norte. Great empanadas, but a little too expensive. Afterwards, we went to a party at the apartment of a Brasilian man and chillaxed with a bunch of Columbians. Going to parties with lots of random people is like speed dating. You talk to a lot of people, and eventually find 1 or 2 you like, then spend the rest of the night talking to them. I met a guy named Octavio from Mexico. We talked about Mexican words (“Mande” instead of “como”) and he and a Columbian had a swearing match. At one point, I realized that I hadn’t been hit on the entire night. And then I realized that there wasn’t a single Argentine in the room.
Sunday I
Pedro and I made stencils, then looked for a place in Recoleta to graffiti. Unfortunately, Recoleta is one of the richest areas in all of Argentina, so we couldn’t find any dimly lit allies/ sketchy construction sites with lots of wood lying around. We went back to his house to eat toast and mate with honey (tastes so much better, who knew!). Sophia, Estelle, Gabrielle, and Francisco came over and we played music and had a Green Day sing along.
Sunday II
Great night, but I’m keeping it a secret. ;o
