Let’s Get Serious
So I’ve decided that this blog should not only be about the things I do (because I can’t write well enough to make an hour by hour recap of my night interesting) but the places I go. That way this blog might be useful to people who are considering going to Buenos Aires. Okay. So I’ll begin with my day.
Lunch at La Cocina (1508 Pueyrredon, Barrio Recoleta). I found out about this restaurant from The Authentic Bars, Cafes, and Restaurants of Buenos Aires by Gabriela Kogan, a book that will be my restaurant bible. La Cocina is famous for empanadas, a snack/lunch food that consists of filling covered in dough. The filling can consist of meat, cheese, vegetables, whatever.
Since I am a vegetarian, I ordered two empanadas filled with cheese and onions. Because I am over eighteen, I ordered a glass of wine. It cost three pesos. ONE AMERICAN DOLLAR. The layout of La Cocina is rather annoying. There was one table with eight chairs, and then two counters each with a barstool. So basically, there were 10 seats. Sophia, a friend from SC, and I waited around for awhile, but were eventually able to get seats before the lunch rush. If any of you are considering going here, I recommend doing it well before 1pm.
After Lunch: Museo Xul Solar. An entire museum devoted to the work of Xul Solar. I’m not going to bore you with biography, look it up on Wikipedia. I’ll briefly describe some of the art and that’s it. His work was heavily influenced by occult things like the zodiac, Egyptian gods, mythic creatures, etc. Most of the landscapes and images he creates come straight out of fantasy worlds. I would say that they were bootlegged from sci-fi books, but most of his work comes from the 1920’s and 1930’s. I hate to say this, ’cause it sounds cliche, but he was way ahead of his time.
Vuel Villa, 1936. I love the idea of a city in the sky, kept aloft by balloons and motors. It reminds me of a book I once read, where there were moving cities, and each kept on trying to eat the others to get resources. Anyway, his watercolors are fantastic. You should check him out.
I went to the Botanic garden to chillax with some cats, but I don’t feel like writing about that now. Being serious is totally draining.
Los Gatos del hospital extrano
Buenos Aires is beginning to grow on me. A little bit.
I made a new friend this afternoon named Steven. We went to the bank and then out to eat during one of our few breaks. We spoke completely in Spanish and didn’t just exchange pleasantries. Speaking in Spanish to other American students is getting less tedious.
On the way home from orientation, I walked past an uber creepy hospital. It looks completely abandoned, but it is apparently one of the best hospitals in the area. The hospital is surrounded by a pathetic lawn and iron fence and (get this) like A MILLION CATS. Today I saw a woman feeding them. Next time I’m by a pet store, I’ll buy cat food.
Lost in BA
Orientation began today. There are three of us from SC- Sophia, Estelle, and me. It is so nice to be with people who have had the same experience, because the other members of the group are from coed or big state schools. We three SC girls are planning on going to a gay bar on the weekend.
For lunch, I went with Estelle and a nice, indie girl named Marie to a vegetarian restaurant. It was AMAZING. I got Argentina’s vegetarian take on shepherd’s pie with soy protein, mashed potatoes, and zucchini. We ran into Mario, the program director, at the restaurant. He’s very funny and I sort of have a little crush on him, but he’s sixty…or older!
After lunch, Mario lectured the group on the dangers of BA, and they are abundant. From kidnapping to roofies and robbery to parks, we have a lot to be afraid of. He cautioned us against being paranoid, but that is sort of impossible given that he spent TWO HOURS lecturing us on the dangers. He even printed out a map of the most dangerous areas in BA.
So given that lecture, what did I do after orientation? I got my ass lost. Granted, I was in the richest neighborhoods of Latin America so I didn’t have much to be afraid of, but it was my first day. Anyway, it was horrifying, but I realize where I went wrong, so I will never do that again. On the bright side, I did get to explore a lot of the neighborhood.
Another thing (besides being scared shitless) that has weighed heavily on my mind is speaking in English to other Americans. I know I’m not supposed to do it with the other students, but how else are we going to become friends? I want to socialize with other people, but how do you get to know someone if you are struggling to piece together a sentence? Apparently, speaking English can even be dangerous in some areas.
I don’t know if anyone reads this, but I would really appreciate your advice.
In Buenos Aires
Winter in BA is extremely yucky. We arrived at 8 in the morning to drizzle and gray skies. After getting my bags, I was herded by the program supervisors into a taxi. The taxi driver was a 60 something year old man who praised Eva Peron and loved tango music. After what seemed like hours of driving around BA, we stopped at an apartment building and he helped me with my bags. A middle aged woman answered the door and introduced herself as Ana, my host mother. The apartment is small, but cute. I have my own room with internet access and a television. After I put my things away, we ate lunch–a completely vegetarian lunch. Maybe it will be possible to stay vegetarian in a country of meatophiles?
Claire's Buenos Aires Blog 