I have never been comfortable in cemeteries. I mean, for obvious reasons...

But, there is something to be said for looking at our own mortality. Today I went to the cemetery in Recoleta which is very well known (for unknown reasons). Most people know it as the final resting place of Eva (Evita) Peron, although frankly most people think of Eva and start singing Madonna therefore I tend not to trust the opinions of 'most people'. So, while visiting the cemetery was on my list of things to do here, I wasn't very excited about it.

But, I was delightfully surprised. This cemetery is built right in the city and is a concrete jungle of unique mausoleums and famous names. It is huge and while it is a big tourist attraction, it's big enough to not feel up to your neck in 'extranjeros' (foreigners). We just wandered around with no map, noting beautiful names, abstract designs, and strange coffins. And of course, I picked the one I would like to end up in (not pictured)...

After asking various workers, we found Alfonsin. He died in March and was the first democratic president in 1982 after 60 years of military led governments. Affectionately called 'The Father of Democracy', his presidency was the beginning of a new era of freedom in place of fear. He was well loved and well respected and the fresh flowers I found at his grave were a testament to that.

Here's to:

looking at life and appreciating it

at the moment, i'm laughing. at myself actually. and at what is to be, this update.

1.) the students at my university all talk with their hands (girls specifically). which, i kind of like. but the girls who do this have very nice hands: thin, boney, long. so today, i caught myself talking with my hands. which was sort of like catching yourself in a bikini, when you know it's not a pretty sight.

2.) people wait in orderly lines for the bus. so on the street, at a stop, you may see five people just lined up. but, near the highways at rushour, there are lines of at least fifty people. the bus won't stop unless you hail it (pointed finger and arm straight out). so the bus comes and the people get on. but if you're in a small line, men always let the women get on first. the front of the bus is for the elderly and children and elderly with children. but if their aren't seats and there aren't elderly, they're fair game. there's not a whole lot of 'seat sacrifice', but on occasion. to get off the bus you have to ring a buzzer so the bus driver knows to stop at the stop (the first time i rode the bus, i freaked out because i couldn't get it to stop and therefore ended up walking like five extra blocks). tons of funny things happen on the bus. i rather enjoy the communte.

3.) by my house there are a lot of security guards. as in, old fat men hired to sit around in a little box at a corner/intersection and listen to soccer games on the radio. on my five block walk to my cafe i pass three. if anything the sheer excess of incompetent security makes me want to steal something. like maybe a cat. or a car. something.

4.) superpanchos. footlong hotdogs for 2.50 pesos (like 70 cents). toasted bun, mustard or mayo (i opt for mustard only) and a nice dog. i think i would like to open a restaurant of street food. all the perks of good eats on the street, but, with a chair. and table.

5.) a friend from cleveland is visiting this week! she gets here on friday and stays until the following saturday. excited to a.) see her b.) speak english and c.) be reminded of home

buenas noches

happy saturday

yesterday was the most amazing day that i have had in buenos aires. i went with students from a community service group at di tella called accion social to a library/school after school program. we got off the bus, and literally it was another world. now, i'm not saying that these kids are from 'poor' backgrounds, but comparatively speaking, let's just say it was 'imprecionante'. basically i got to play with kids, which is pretty much my forte in life. i had a giddy smile on my face the entire time. One tiny girl named Lulu, with dark brown hair in pigtails and a heart so big i was surprised that it could fit in her little body, stole me from the getgo. why is it that the children that have the least (by worldly standards) are the most happy?

i have been reading a book called 'cold tangerines' by shauna niequist. if you are looking for something deep and life changing, but an easy artistic read, give it a look. you won't be sorry.

what i'm listening to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qw88xaU5uLg&NR=1

'if you are what you say you are, have no fear'

i think that if everyone danced for five minutes everyday, the world would be a much happier place... give it a try

i've been thinking a lot lately, about nigeria actually. about everything that happened there. the other day i was walking down the street and i got a wiff of nigeria. I can't explain what the smell is exactly, but it sent me into a whirlwind of memories in that split second. i got thinking about my friends, about the colors, the kids, the heat, the stars, the bugs, the way it made me feel, the way it changed me. for the better. i think i thought i could put that experience into a nice little box, tucked away on some safe shelf in my mind. honestly, i made an effort to isolate my time there from everything else, to make it easier to transition back to 'my life'. which was wrong. but justified in my situation. so here i am. a box of messy thoughts in my lap and i don't really know what to do with them.

it's kind of like a summer night when you catch a firefly and it's there stuck inbetween your palms and while you want it to be free, you don't want to lose it's beautiful light. so you stand there with your eyelashes tickling your hand as you watch it and wonder.

there are somethings that you just can't ever forget, even if you wanted to. and those small things mean the most.
i think

Spanish Word of the the Day: Parrilla (pronounced, par e ja)

and guess what it means? that's right. GRILL

Most of you are aware that Argentina is known for it's amazing red meat. And yes, I can firmly say that, it is indeed amazing. And the funny part is that I'm not a huge advocate of meat-eating, but here in Buenos Aires it's just so good. And what will you find on the parrilla? Asado, which is a really chewy rib (pictured above). When you buy meat here at the supermarket, it's really red (which may sound stupid because it is in fact, red meat) but honestly, it just looks more like real meat than what I'm accustomed to. Also, there isn't ground meat here in the stores. And I love that there is no ground meat (I like knowing that the meat came from one single cow, not a mix of god knows what). I asked my host mom about the Argentine secret to good meat. At first she said it's a national security secret, but after begging she told me that the cows here aren't permitted to walk long distances on the ranches because it makes their muscles too tough. And here we thought free range was a good thing.

Beef: it's what's for dinner (and lunch) (and breakfast) (and afternoon snacks)

Fact: voting in Argentina is obligatory

At first I was pretty much not a fan of the idea, because I believe that voting is a personal decision and responsibility and therefore it is just as much a right to vote as it is a right to choose to abstain from voting. But once I found out that you can vote 'blanca' which means you show up to the polls but just turn in a blank ballot… I couldn’t find fault with the system.

Perhaps people chose not to vote out of sheer laziness. But that makes me wonder, Do we really want everyone to vote? I mean, there are many uninformed people in the world, who could care less about politics. Perhaps it is better that such people aren’t at the polls just randomly picking names…

“Without Participation, There is No Democracy” - a wall on my walk to the bus stop

congreso. my favorite building in buenos aires. period.

today I had an 8 am class
afterwards I went walking in the city...
The japanese garden here in
Buenos Aires was beautiful,
lots of giant fish,
and green plants
and unique sculptures,
and wonderful friends
from Japan, Poland and the Czech Repub...

Jack Johnson says 'who needs keys when we've got clubs'... And I would most definitely agree with him (especially considering doors and locks just don't like me). But I must admit that I love the antique style here in Buenos Aires. So here's to unlocking something special today!

Hola!

Today I went to a craft market at a local park in Belgrano. Lots of hippie crafts, jewelery, leather, and glass. I love just walking around here, sitting on the grass, thinking my thoughts, listening to the gentle hum of distant tango music and bus engines.

Is this the classiest Blockbuster you've ever seen?

Well, I thought I'd share with you the benefits (or curses) of globalization. Here in Buenos Aires we have Walmart, Starbucks, and of course McDonalds and Burger King. Now, I'm not telling you this because I think that the expansion of private enterprise is evil. Buenos Aires is among the most modern cities in the world, and therefore has become a prime location for American based companies to spread their 'services'.

In general, Buenos Aires is a city full of immigrants (comparable to NYC) that bring with them their different tastes and cultures. Sunday dinner here consists of very authentic Italian food, Sushi is all the rage momentarily, and Chinatown is quite authentic (and by authentic I mean that everything sold there is not-authentic). In 1900, BsAs was 50% straight off the boat immigrants! And thus, when taking role call in my classes I noticed that literally all the names are European... Bamballi, Vinardi, Brown, Edwards... you name it, it's here. So, there you have it. Come to Buenos Aires and you'll feel right at home, no matter where you're coming from!