Today something pretty cool happened. I realized halfway through the day that this morning I managed to properly convey my thoughts and have a fluid conversation with my mom regarding the trash/recycling problem in Córdoba. There had been something on the news about trash, and that sparked a nice breakfast conversation about recycling, landfills, and the many uses of compost. While this was all very interesting and enjoyable to talk about, the trash problem is not what I got excited about as I was sitting in class today. This morning marked one of the first times that I had limited problems expressing myself and only had to look up one word during our conversation (waste: desperdicio). After all of the frustration of the past few weeks, this was fairly comforting to me.
One of the hardest aspects of being in a foreign country is simply the fact that it's hard to get to know people or show others your actual personality when you can't speak properly. You don't know the local colloquialisms, you don't have your signature catchphrases, you don't even move the same way when you speak. This makes adjusting to a new country with new people and customs very difficult. It's exhausting.
However, today made me realize that no matter how bad I think I am at Spanish right now (and I'm still pretty bad), I actually am improving. Today I thought back to last semester when I was taking a conversation class at Ithaca, and it's kind of amazing how bad I ACTUALLY was at speaking then. The difference between December and now is huge, so I can only imagine how much I'll have improved by August. I've been fretting recently (due mostly to my frustration with the language barrier) that I won't really have made any strides by the time I leave Argentina. I see now that this is impossible, as I can really only get better from here on out. Ya, I'll definitely still have work to do, but just being around native speakers is making me better in itself.
I still fully expect many frustrating moments in the next 5 months, and many more "I CANNOT SPEAK SPANISH" freak outs. However, my Thomas Edison light bulb moment today has helped me realize that I just need to take it in stride. So here's to being one step closer to fluency. Everyone raise your alfahores. I'll explain those in another entry. They're too ridiculously delicious and full of dulce leche and beef fat to go into detail here.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Cough Cough, Wheeze Wheeze
As many of you know, I'm an environmental studies major. Part of the reason I'm down here is because my concentration is Latin American culture and agriculture, and my minor is Spanish. Therefore, it makes sense for me to study in a Latin American country and learn a little bit more about the environmental problems down here.
Well, there are quite a few. For instance, when I go running through the city it's much akin to running through a smoke-filled bar, with a spritz of noxious car fumes thrown in. As you can imagine, I get a little wheezy and feel a little LESS healthy than when I started out. Now imagine that you're a child who grows up in this environment so doesn't know anything different, and the slew of health problems that will inevitably result from constant contact with carcinogens. They simply don't have the same regulations we do. Even with those regulations the US still has nasty air and does a fabulous job of polluting the air of everyone else, so imagine air quality where city buses regularly spew out black diesel fumes.
A lot of the environmental problems down here closely mirror our own in the US. Argentina has become a very big fan of monoculture crops grown solely for export, namely soy. No one here eats soy. Ever. The expansive fields that we pass on the way out of the city will be harvested and shipped off to other parts of the world. This not only hurts the local farmers and food economy, but also the land on which these monocultures are grown. In a few years, the soil will be infertile and farmers will have to plant somewhere else. As we're seeing in the US, this is not a particularly effective strategy as there is only so much land in one country and many, many people to feed.
Still, in many ways the Argentines have us beat. Energy costs are pretty high down here, so lights are turned off whenever possible and electric appliances are unplugged while not in use. The houses and apartments are usually spacious enough for the family that lives in them, but space is not wasted. Yes, you're forced to be a lot more comfortable with the people you live with because you're physically closer to them, but from what I've seen this simply encourages tighter-knit families who get used to sharing early on. This is reflected in the general culture of sharing down here, which not only brings people together on a human level but also saves resources.
Additionally, instead of going to big supermercados (which they unfortunately have down here, along with many other American installments) people generally walk two blocks and buy their groceries at their local tiendas (small stores). Our verduria (vegetable and meat shop) is one block away, and my host mother goes there every day to pick out ingredients for the days meals. In this way the food is very rarely prepackaged, which again saves resources.
Overall, Argentina's got some serious steps to take before it's environmentally sound, but so does every country (except maybe Costa Rica, who rocks at everything. No military? Good job guys). The first step is education, because no one really seems to be aware of the issues or what they can do to fix them. There is no recycling program here, so teaching people to separate recyclables and compostables will be essential. For now I'm just trying to take note and learn so that some day maybe all Argentines will care as much about the earth as I do.
Well, there are quite a few. For instance, when I go running through the city it's much akin to running through a smoke-filled bar, with a spritz of noxious car fumes thrown in. As you can imagine, I get a little wheezy and feel a little LESS healthy than when I started out. Now imagine that you're a child who grows up in this environment so doesn't know anything different, and the slew of health problems that will inevitably result from constant contact with carcinogens. They simply don't have the same regulations we do. Even with those regulations the US still has nasty air and does a fabulous job of polluting the air of everyone else, so imagine air quality where city buses regularly spew out black diesel fumes.
A lot of the environmental problems down here closely mirror our own in the US. Argentina has become a very big fan of monoculture crops grown solely for export, namely soy. No one here eats soy. Ever. The expansive fields that we pass on the way out of the city will be harvested and shipped off to other parts of the world. This not only hurts the local farmers and food economy, but also the land on which these monocultures are grown. In a few years, the soil will be infertile and farmers will have to plant somewhere else. As we're seeing in the US, this is not a particularly effective strategy as there is only so much land in one country and many, many people to feed.
Still, in many ways the Argentines have us beat. Energy costs are pretty high down here, so lights are turned off whenever possible and electric appliances are unplugged while not in use. The houses and apartments are usually spacious enough for the family that lives in them, but space is not wasted. Yes, you're forced to be a lot more comfortable with the people you live with because you're physically closer to them, but from what I've seen this simply encourages tighter-knit families who get used to sharing early on. This is reflected in the general culture of sharing down here, which not only brings people together on a human level but also saves resources.
Additionally, instead of going to big supermercados (which they unfortunately have down here, along with many other American installments) people generally walk two blocks and buy their groceries at their local tiendas (small stores). Our verduria (vegetable and meat shop) is one block away, and my host mother goes there every day to pick out ingredients for the days meals. In this way the food is very rarely prepackaged, which again saves resources.
Overall, Argentina's got some serious steps to take before it's environmentally sound, but so does every country (except maybe Costa Rica, who rocks at everything. No military? Good job guys). The first step is education, because no one really seems to be aware of the issues or what they can do to fix them. There is no recycling program here, so teaching people to separate recyclables and compostables will be essential. For now I'm just trying to take note and learn so that some day maybe all Argentines will care as much about the earth as I do.
Monday, February 15, 2010
"I will keees your tattoo."
As I've mentioned before, people take their time here. You're 10 minutes late to class? "There was congestion in el centro" is the standard excuse, used for everything and always presumed to be a fib but accepted anyway. You see a friend at the mall? You sit and chat "por un rato," or a little while. People stop in to see you unannounced all the time, and it's just expected that you'll hang out for a while. And to add to this general relaxed nature, you have a beautiful thing known as the siesta.
The siesta is usually taken between 1-5. Many businesses close down for a few hours, as this is also the time when people eat the biggest meal, almuerzo (lunch). After eating to your heart's content, why not take a nap? And this is what we do. While I'm at school it's a bit different, because I don't get home until the middle-end of the actual siesta, but there isn't a time limit on things. If you want to take a nap at 6 p.m., more power to you - there's always the night time to get whatever you need to done. As a veteran and champion napper, I am definitely in my element here.
The weekends prove to be the most essential time for napping, as people have a habit here of staying out until 6 a.m. This Saturday we went to a boliche, which is the word for dance club. People here start going out around 11:30 p.m., and the night starts with a "previa" (which is what we call pregaming) at a bar or someone's house if you're trying to save money, and then around 2 you head to the boliches. Things don't really get started there til 3. The music in the boliches is far superior to American club music, because it's all very upbeat and easy to have dance parties to. I particularly liked the Brazilian music, as well as "el cuarteto," which is music from Cordoba that requires you to find a partner and do lots of twirls and turns. Needless to say, when I poured myself into bed at 5 a.m. (which is early here) I was tuckered but very excited to have passed my first night out in such a fun way.
I also had the pleasure of tasting Fernet this weekend. Fernet is basically the drink of choice for Argentines, and it is always served with coke. Fernet negra has a more mild flavor than Fernet verde, which basically tastes like pure mint cough syrup. Fernet negra is loved by all Argentines, but usually hated by foreigners. I, however, grew quite fond of Fernet negra over the course of the night. Between that and the cervezas, which are HUGE and so cheap, I have happily found my Argentine drink of choice.
Again with the theme of sharing, in the boliches you buy a drink (which is always served in a massive plastic cup), bring it back to your group, drink some, and then hold it up in the middle of the circle of your friends. It is subsequently passed around until everyone who wants a sip has safely deposited their germs on your drink. This continues all night. It's a big money saver, makes for fast friends, and generally guarantees that you will one day catch the plague. Needless to say, they're not germaphobes here.
All in all, my first real weekend here was a success. I made some new friends, learned some new customs, and spoke in broken Spanish all weekend with some very forgiving locals, a few of whom really enjoyed trying out their English on us (hence the title of this blog, which is a direct quote from a very happy and very short chico who seemed fascinated with the Oregon tattoo on my back). I'm looking forward to many a weekend like this one, and of course, more Fernet!
The siesta is usually taken between 1-5. Many businesses close down for a few hours, as this is also the time when people eat the biggest meal, almuerzo (lunch). After eating to your heart's content, why not take a nap? And this is what we do. While I'm at school it's a bit different, because I don't get home until the middle-end of the actual siesta, but there isn't a time limit on things. If you want to take a nap at 6 p.m., more power to you - there's always the night time to get whatever you need to done. As a veteran and champion napper, I am definitely in my element here.
The weekends prove to be the most essential time for napping, as people have a habit here of staying out until 6 a.m. This Saturday we went to a boliche, which is the word for dance club. People here start going out around 11:30 p.m., and the night starts with a "previa" (which is what we call pregaming) at a bar or someone's house if you're trying to save money, and then around 2 you head to the boliches. Things don't really get started there til 3. The music in the boliches is far superior to American club music, because it's all very upbeat and easy to have dance parties to. I particularly liked the Brazilian music, as well as "el cuarteto," which is music from Cordoba that requires you to find a partner and do lots of twirls and turns. Needless to say, when I poured myself into bed at 5 a.m. (which is early here) I was tuckered but very excited to have passed my first night out in such a fun way.
I also had the pleasure of tasting Fernet this weekend. Fernet is basically the drink of choice for Argentines, and it is always served with coke. Fernet negra has a more mild flavor than Fernet verde, which basically tastes like pure mint cough syrup. Fernet negra is loved by all Argentines, but usually hated by foreigners. I, however, grew quite fond of Fernet negra over the course of the night. Between that and the cervezas, which are HUGE and so cheap, I have happily found my Argentine drink of choice.
Again with the theme of sharing, in the boliches you buy a drink (which is always served in a massive plastic cup), bring it back to your group, drink some, and then hold it up in the middle of the circle of your friends. It is subsequently passed around until everyone who wants a sip has safely deposited their germs on your drink. This continues all night. It's a big money saver, makes for fast friends, and generally guarantees that you will one day catch the plague. Needless to say, they're not germaphobes here.
All in all, my first real weekend here was a success. I made some new friends, learned some new customs, and spoke in broken Spanish all weekend with some very forgiving locals, a few of whom really enjoyed trying out their English on us (hence the title of this blog, which is a direct quote from a very happy and very short chico who seemed fascinated with the Oregon tattoo on my back). I'm looking forward to many a weekend like this one, and of course, more Fernet!
Friday, February 12, 2010
The friendliest people on earth
Hey guys!
So, after a ton of random troubleshooting things I actually got my internet to work in my house! I'm actually very proud of myself because normally I make computers die, not fix them. But this is extremely good news on the communication front. On the weekends it's hard for me to schedule exact sessions to ichat and skype and stuff, because we tend to just decide to go do things without really planning anything here. So this is what I'll do: As much as possible, whenever I'm home and available I'll try to be logged on to ichat and skype. That way if you've got a free second you can check to see if I'm logged on. On the week days we can schedule stuff just fine, because at night I'll usually be home getting ready for school the next day. 10 pm my time is 5 pm west coast, 8 pm east coast if that's helpful.
I haven't really talked about actual Argentina yet, so that's what I'm going to do today. Right now, it's RIDICULOUSLY hot. I think it's just kind of the last dog days of summer type thing, but since no one has air conditioning you're just constantly sweating. The weather is much akin to Iowa in the summer, if I haven't already said that. And we all know how I feel about Iowa's weather.
I think what I like most about Argentina is the people. They're some of the friendliest, most welcoming people I've ever met. I expected to get some negative reactions every time I had to say I was from the United States, but people mostly just seem to be excited that we're down here to study and learn about Argentina. They're eager to share their country with us. And they're all so helpful! Every time we have a map out someone comes up and asks if we need help getting somewhere. The bus system here pretty much requires insider knowledge because there are no routes posted and no "the next stop is such and such" read outs, and each time I've ridden it I've had to ask someone how far away my stop is so I don't miss it. Each time I do this they give me a big smile, take me to the back of the bus, point out when we're getting near, and press the "I want to get off" bell for me. Then they make sure I know which building is the Central Policia (that's just the landmark I use to get off because it's right by my house) and send me on my way. Everyone's curious and asks us questions about what part of the US we're from, how we like Cordoba, and how our Castellano is (that's the type of Spanish they speak here). It makes you feel better about things when everyone is so gracious and helpful.
There are several things, however, that are different from what they told us to expect in the program manual we got in the United States. Here are a few lies of the CC-CS handbook.
1. People dress very formally. While this may be true (to some extent) in the professional sector, people really wear whatever the crap they want, including belly shirts. All the nicer clothes I bought were entirely unnecessary.
2. The men are all obnoxious and will cat-call you at all times. I have had maybe one cat-call, as have my friends, and it was just an "hola chicas!" which is not uncommon to hear in the US from some random guy. Most of the men here are very polite, and even more pay zero attention at all (and if they do they keep it to themselves).
3. No one carries big bags or purses. This is just a flat out lie. I left my big school purses at home for nothing.
4. Ipods and things are never used. While actual ipods are certainly less common (the real product is incredibly expensive here), people definitely use mp3 players on the bus and stuff. Cordoba is a city full of students and professionals. It's not uncommon for people to have nice cell phones and computers and stuff.
There are a bunch of cultural differences, but these are not some of them. In a few days I'll write about all of the changes I've encountered like the food and the sheer lack of any environmental consideration, but that's a post in itself and this one is already too long. Love and miss you all, and hope we can chat soon!
So, after a ton of random troubleshooting things I actually got my internet to work in my house! I'm actually very proud of myself because normally I make computers die, not fix them. But this is extremely good news on the communication front. On the weekends it's hard for me to schedule exact sessions to ichat and skype and stuff, because we tend to just decide to go do things without really planning anything here. So this is what I'll do: As much as possible, whenever I'm home and available I'll try to be logged on to ichat and skype. That way if you've got a free second you can check to see if I'm logged on. On the week days we can schedule stuff just fine, because at night I'll usually be home getting ready for school the next day. 10 pm my time is 5 pm west coast, 8 pm east coast if that's helpful.
I haven't really talked about actual Argentina yet, so that's what I'm going to do today. Right now, it's RIDICULOUSLY hot. I think it's just kind of the last dog days of summer type thing, but since no one has air conditioning you're just constantly sweating. The weather is much akin to Iowa in the summer, if I haven't already said that. And we all know how I feel about Iowa's weather.
I think what I like most about Argentina is the people. They're some of the friendliest, most welcoming people I've ever met. I expected to get some negative reactions every time I had to say I was from the United States, but people mostly just seem to be excited that we're down here to study and learn about Argentina. They're eager to share their country with us. And they're all so helpful! Every time we have a map out someone comes up and asks if we need help getting somewhere. The bus system here pretty much requires insider knowledge because there are no routes posted and no "the next stop is such and such" read outs, and each time I've ridden it I've had to ask someone how far away my stop is so I don't miss it. Each time I do this they give me a big smile, take me to the back of the bus, point out when we're getting near, and press the "I want to get off" bell for me. Then they make sure I know which building is the Central Policia (that's just the landmark I use to get off because it's right by my house) and send me on my way. Everyone's curious and asks us questions about what part of the US we're from, how we like Cordoba, and how our Castellano is (that's the type of Spanish they speak here). It makes you feel better about things when everyone is so gracious and helpful.
There are several things, however, that are different from what they told us to expect in the program manual we got in the United States. Here are a few lies of the CC-CS handbook.
1. People dress very formally. While this may be true (to some extent) in the professional sector, people really wear whatever the crap they want, including belly shirts. All the nicer clothes I bought were entirely unnecessary.
2. The men are all obnoxious and will cat-call you at all times. I have had maybe one cat-call, as have my friends, and it was just an "hola chicas!" which is not uncommon to hear in the US from some random guy. Most of the men here are very polite, and even more pay zero attention at all (and if they do they keep it to themselves).
3. No one carries big bags or purses. This is just a flat out lie. I left my big school purses at home for nothing.
4. Ipods and things are never used. While actual ipods are certainly less common (the real product is incredibly expensive here), people definitely use mp3 players on the bus and stuff. Cordoba is a city full of students and professionals. It's not uncommon for people to have nice cell phones and computers and stuff.
There are a bunch of cultural differences, but these are not some of them. In a few days I'll write about all of the changes I've encountered like the food and the sheer lack of any environmental consideration, but that's a post in itself and this one is already too long. Love and miss you all, and hope we can chat soon!
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
I'm alive! Argentine drugs are strong, apparently.
Ok, so here are some things that have happened to me within the past several days:
1. Ate my first asado (it was delicious)
2. Drank my first (and second) mate (it was also delicious)
3. Went to the paseo de los artes. It's basically an open air market that happens every weekend, and people sell crafts and trinkets and stuff. A lot of it's really beautiful stuff, and it's all SO CHEAP! Which is awesome.
4. Had my first day of school, technically. All we did was take placement tests.
5. Got a stomach bug and subsequently missed my first real day of school.
6. Recovered thanks to a potent shot and some antibiotics, courtesy of Pablo, my house-visiting doctor.
7. Actually had my first day of school. My teacher's name is Fanni, and she's very nice but sometimes I think that she gets frustrated with how we butcher the language. I got placed in the intermediate class, for which I'm very grateful because I skipped a level at Ithaca and was really really nervous when the program tried to put me in advanced.
So, aside from Montezuma's revenge, It's been a good first few days. The story on my internet sitch is that I have it at school, but so far not at home. This complicates how often I can skype with you all, because the time change from here to the west coast is 5 hours (I'm ahead) and to the east coast I'm ahead 2 hours. So basically it's only complicated with the people I want to talk to on the west coast. Sorry guys. But my dad has been diligently working on finding an update for my computer, as have Martha's son and his friend. So hopefully we'll find something soon and get it going en casa.
Anyway, that's all for now. Miss and love you all.
1. Ate my first asado (it was delicious)
2. Drank my first (and second) mate (it was also delicious)
3. Went to the paseo de los artes. It's basically an open air market that happens every weekend, and people sell crafts and trinkets and stuff. A lot of it's really beautiful stuff, and it's all SO CHEAP! Which is awesome.
4. Had my first day of school, technically. All we did was take placement tests.
5. Got a stomach bug and subsequently missed my first real day of school.
6. Recovered thanks to a potent shot and some antibiotics, courtesy of Pablo, my house-visiting doctor.
7. Actually had my first day of school. My teacher's name is Fanni, and she's very nice but sometimes I think that she gets frustrated with how we butcher the language. I got placed in the intermediate class, for which I'm very grateful because I skipped a level at Ithaca and was really really nervous when the program tried to put me in advanced.
So, aside from Montezuma's revenge, It's been a good first few days. The story on my internet sitch is that I have it at school, but so far not at home. This complicates how often I can skype with you all, because the time change from here to the west coast is 5 hours (I'm ahead) and to the east coast I'm ahead 2 hours. So basically it's only complicated with the people I want to talk to on the west coast. Sorry guys. But my dad has been diligently working on finding an update for my computer, as have Martha's son and his friend. So hopefully we'll find something soon and get it going en casa.
Anyway, that's all for now. Miss and love you all.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Montezuma´s revenge.
Hola a todos,
Sorry I´ve been MIA. It looks like I won´t really have internet in my house because my computer isn´t compatible with the wireless or something, so I´ll be bringing my computer to school most days and hopefully we can all chat then. Lots has happened in the past few days, but unfortunately I have a stomach flu and had to miss the first real day of class. Call it montezuma´s revenge. anyway, this is a terribly short post but I´m trying to figure out if I have homework and I also want to go back to bed. More later!
Sorry I´ve been MIA. It looks like I won´t really have internet in my house because my computer isn´t compatible with the wireless or something, so I´ll be bringing my computer to school most days and hopefully we can all chat then. Lots has happened in the past few days, but unfortunately I have a stomach flu and had to miss the first real day of class. Call it montezuma´s revenge. anyway, this is a terribly short post but I´m trying to figure out if I have homework and I also want to go back to bed. More later!
Friday, February 5, 2010
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