Spice up your life!

Hola,

I don't have much time left in this crazy city. I've been trying to do things I haven't gotten around to doing. My friend Cat and I went on a Friday adventure to the Botanical Gardens and the Japanese Gardens last week, both were beautiful. Most recently, my roommate Stef came up with the idea for Restaurant Week BA. Starting this past Sunday and ending this coming Thursday we are going out to dinner at a different restaurant in a different neighborhood every night. Sunday was Mexican food at "La Fabrica del Taco," literally the Taco Factory. Argentines have something against spicy food so it was delicious to eat a taco smothered in picante green salsa. Monday was Moroccan food, probably some of the best lamb I've had in my short life. Tuesday was Spanish food, the tapas were really very awful. Tonight is Sushi, Wednesday will be Italian and Thursday will be French. It is so much fun to go out to dinner with all the friends I've made here and so weird to be saying goodbye as everyone leaves!

I'm almost done with finals, after an oral exam on Thursday I'm all done! Stef and I are heading out shopping to a housewares bazar, we've broken enough glasses and plates in our rented apartment that we need to buy replacements.

Hope everyone is doing well.

Love,

Raquel

GRIPE PORCINA aka SWINE FLEW at my University

I feel bad for the pigs so instead of Swine Flu I have been trying to use the official title, Influenza A (H1N1). During my break in class today, I ran in to a lady from the International Student Office who informed me that an acquaintance of mine, a female study abroad student from the US who attends my university, has contracted Influenza A (H1N1). She is doing fine and undergoing treatment, but I know someone who was Swine Flu, AAAHH!! I also just got home from class and upon checking my email received notification from the US Embassy that there are 800 confirmed cases of Influenza A (H1N1) in Argentina including 4 deaths. 

If it's not Dengue Fever, it's Swine Flu. At least it's too cold here now for the mosquitos to get me, although I did see one flying around in the elevator of my apartment building yesterday...I can't get over the fact that its June and on most days I'm walking around in a white wool coat wearing my favorite colorful plaid scarf and sometimes even my hot pink gloves. Brrr.

Even though the World Health Organization raised its worldwide pandemic alert level to Phase 6, meaning a global pandemic is underway, I'm really not too worried about this (I'm figuratively looking at you Grandma Hannah, don't worry!). I practice obsessive hand washing thanks to my Mommy Carmen and I'll be back in the US in less than 3 weeks. I have no flu-like symptoms to date and I intend to keep it that way. 

Best,

Raquel

Malba and the movies

Estimados Damas y Caballeros, esteemed ladies and gentleman:

¿Que pasa? I finally got out this week and had some fun!! Wednesday the modern art museum of Buenos Aires is free for students with Argentine student IDs. I LOVE my Universidad del Salvador student ID, it has gotten me discounts in Patagonia for entrance to Glacier National Park, in Puerto Iguazú for entrance to Iguazú National Park and free entrance to museums galore. Thanks USAL!

Malba is a smallish museum boasting 4 floors of very interesting artwork. Modern art isn't my favorite as I'm partial to older works in a more Degas, Monet or Renoir-like style. There were some famous artists represented in Malba like Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, Fernando Botero and Antonio Berni. Unfortunately there were no cameras allowed inside the museum so I didn't get to take any pictures. My favorite piece was by Berni, one of the great names in Argentine art. Although I couldn't snap a picture of it, thanks to the worldwide web and google images the piece is below:

La Gran Tentación

The Great Temptation

A tour guide was talking to a group as I was admiring the picture. The piece of art is collage and paint mounted on 2 planks of wood about 15 feet wide and 20 feet tall. The piece is supposed to represent Berni's frustration with commercialism, note Cinderella in the top left with blue paint dripping down her face.

Thursday "Fantasmas de mis ex Novias" or "Ghost of Girlfirends Past" with Matthew McConaughey came out in Buenos Aires. My friend Cat and I went directly from class at 5pm to Abasto movie theatre to buy our movie tickets.  We waited in line for 1 hour to buy 4 tickets for to the 10:30pm showing. Movie ticket purchases work differently than in the states. You don't just buy tickets, arrive when you want and sit where you can, OH NO. When you buy tickets, you approach the ticket counter and pick out your exact seat on a computer screen, you are buying assigned seats like in a theatre, for example Row G, Seat 9 and that is where you sit. Everyone sits in their seat because if you sit in someone else's seat they ask you to move!

The movie was very fun and silly, a typical romantic comedy-in English with Spanish subtitles, yes! Afterwards we went to my favorite bar, El Living, and spent the night lounging in leather arm chairs and watching 70s music videos on the big projector screen. 

Hope everyone is doing well!

Live long and prosper,

Rocky

Cultural Differences

Hola todos,

I have been very busy the last few weeks, not becuase I have been doing anything particularly exciting but because I´m in the home stretch of my semester and FINALS have begun. So far I have written a 15-page paper (in Spanish) on ancient cultures and artifacts from northwestern Argentina and taken 3 in-class written essay exams (also in Spanish) in the History of Argentina, Geography, and the History of Art and Cultures in Ancient America and Argentina. All this work and studying doesn´t leave very much time for fun but on the plus side I have finished work for 2 of my 5 classes. Goodbye History of Argentina and History of Art and Cultures in Ancient America and Argentina!!

Now in my 4 months living in Buenos Aires, I have come to realize some interesting cultural differneces which are sometimes funny and sometimes astonishing.

COMMON COURTESY
Cat Calls: The women in Argentina ENJOY receiving cat calls and consider them compliments! Men often say "nice" things to you like "what lovely eyes you have", "you look beautiful today", "that shirt looks fabulous" etc. Women don´t respond but they do secretly smile and keep on walking. When women don´t get cat calls they are upset because it makes them feel that they are no longer young and beautiful enough to receive them.

Lost Items: In the USA I have returned to others and had returned to me various items like cell phones and wallets. In Argentina, I have had a broken digital camera stolen out of my suitcase by LAN airlines workers and I have had my wallet pick-pocketed out of my bag. Most recently, I misplaced my cell phone and when I called it a day later a crazy woman answered and has since been avoiding my phone calls and using my cell phone.

Tardiness: This typical Argentine charicteristic is most noticable in classes. Professors often arrive 10 minutes late, sometimes they arrive 40 minutes late, either way students are expected to wait! In the USA, if a professors arrives more than 15 minutes late class is cancelled.

TRANSPORTATION
Subway: In the US there is an unspoken rule that everyone on the subway gets off before people on the platform start boarding. In Buenos Aires as soon as the doors open everyone is on their own, get off if you can or get on quick!

Bus: When riding the public bus, men allow all the women in line to board first! Also, you will rarely see a man sitting down if there are women, especially older women, standing. Not the case in the USA.

Elevator: When getting on an elevator women are always allowed in first and when getting off an elevator women are always allowed out first, this sometimes but not always the case in the USA.

FOOD
Sick Food: In the USA when you are sick the absolute staple is some kind of chicken noodle soup/matzo ball soup. In Argentina not only is it rare to come across a chicken based broth it is rare to find clear soup. When people are sick they are given "bife de chorizo con hueso y pure de calabaza", 1/2 a T-bone steak with sweet orange squash puree. I miss Campbells!

I have another 2 in-class written exams, 1 more 15-page paper and 1 oral before I can be DONE with my semester. Hope this entry finds everyone happy and healthy.

Love to all from the southern hemisphere,

Raquel

My Argentine hairdresser and I have a SONG

Tony is my Argentine hairdresser. I will say that my friend Miranda found him first but I visit him weekly for a hair wash and relaxing scalp massage. The salon is called Thizo, it is located on the corner of Azcuénaga and Juncal about 8 blocks away from my apartment, it is very small, there are 3 hair stylists-all men, they enjoy playing techno music for their customers and serving sweet coffee during the day or wine in the afternoon. Tony never goes in to work before 2pm and usually takes a break in middle of the day to go to the gym. 

In recent weeks on the radio, at bars and clubs I have been hearing a song over and over. This past week while visiting Tony the song came on the iTunes playlist of the salon. I immediately exclaimed, "¿Quien es el cantante de este canción?" ("Who is the singer of this song?") and Tony said "David Bisbal". During our time together he not only played the song Ave Maria 3 times and told me how much he adores David Bisbal, but he also promised to bring me the CD when I see him again tomorrow so that I can download the whole CD to my computer.

Ave Maria by David Bisbal, fabulous. The chorus translated to English goes something like the following:

Ave Maria, when you are mine

If you love me, I will give you everything.

Ave Maria, when you are mine

To the same sky, I will take you.

And when I see you, I don't know what I feel.

And when I have you, I burn from within.

And more...and more with you I am falling in love.

You are what I want,

You are my treasure.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EJNR-0N0vo

Enjoy the song! Watch out for his 10 flamenco influenced pirouettes, you can't help but smile.

¡Besitos!

Raquelita