Culture Crossing - The U.S.A. & Argentina

Happy Monday morning everyone, and Salud to the start of a fresh new week!

It's been a very busy time preparing for quizes in spanish and human rights as we are getting ready to head soon into our 3rd and final stretch of school.

Today throughout The United States, parts of Europe, and Australia, many people are observing and celebrating a holiday known as "Halloween." Well, it is mostly celebrated in these countries, because it is a holiday of English origin. But like many English and United States traditions, the culture that we claim a part of is finding it's late influence spread across the globe in a process known as "globalization" or basically the shrinking of distances and extending of one dominant culture. Things common to one society become a part of others.

Not only can we travel half way around the world in 15 hours (as I did to get here) but internet, cellphones, radio ect. allow instantaneous communication as if we are in a global village. Many people consider our world to be a "global village" today, described in spanish as a "cultura mesclado" - mixed culture. Even big businesses are starting to take advantage of this oppurtunity.

On Facebook I have 2 friends from The U.S. who are friends with
"McDonalds", and 8 from Rosario - I only have a hand-full of friends on FB from Argentina!

In Argentina, many many people are beginning to celebrate holidays like Halloween, and I witnessed it over the past few days in costume shops, advertisments, and from the number one source: television. I was disapointed to discover that there will be no Trick-or-Treating taking place ( I couldn't even find Halloween chocolates in the supermarket!), it hasn't caught on quite the same yet. But for older generations it is an excuse to have fun and to party in unison with the culture that they have seen.

Where did they learn that European and U.S. culture was like this?

T.V. and mass media together are the number 1 socializing mechanism on the planet, taking the culture that is portrayed in the United States and reproducing it thousands of miles away in the middle of other histories, planting a cultural seed that grows and influences and eventually can create a world of similarly interested people. It's quite a site to see this process taking place live and in progress in Argentina.

There is this idea one of my Professors back in Portland talked about called a symolicron that is the process in which reality is reproduced in some form or another into something that is a look-alike, or a copy. It might feel real, look or sound real, but maybe only when you compare it to the original you can tell it isn't real. Disney Land is an example of this (it's not actually a magical kingdom???) and so is a 1980's neon light party in which people come in way to bright and tight spandex. For the people who want to recreate these experiences it is this closest thing to reality that they know! And then it gets retold or reinforced by media.

When a movie maker or t.v producer recreates the image of society, they produce a symolicron, touching-up and tweaking the less-desirable charecteristics to something that is more artificial, and closer to an image of a dreamy perfection - for many people living in other places around the world this dreamy, perfected, spray-on-tanned U.S.A. is the only refrence they have of the culture.

Even for us, living in the U.S. it can be hard to distinctify reality from make-believe in Hollywood, but imagine then what it could be like living in a country where the only story you get about a country is from these films that you see.

My friend asked me if all high-schoolers in the Unites States looked like they were 26 to 30 years old, mature, thin, and beautiful like they are on the television. Are they all wealthy, well-dressed, and witty? He refrenced "Glee," and I had to let him know that this is not the case but only a fiction, but at the same time reflecting back to when I was going through highschool at a small town of 1000 students, watching "Smallville," and wondering why the students at my school were so inmature!

Can you figure out which picture below is of real high-schoolers?

Actually, I'm pretty sure those girls are freshman in college.

Some other steriotypes that have been created from this false image about U.S. citizens is that we all seperate ourselves in to clicks, love to party, are individualists and have tons of money: you wouldn't believe how many times someone has told me after I ask how much something costs "yes, but that isn't too exspensive for you!".

Another person informed me that Portland was a very dangerous city. He had seen the documentary series "Ganglands" and had learned that Portland was filled with gangs.

Whats even more is that the few U.S. immigrants that live in Argentina are mostly confined in within the walls of Buenas Aires: there is no one to tell a different story then what is shown!

Well, what made for a kick Saturday night as I attended about 1 of the 3 Halloween costume parties in Rosario, Argentina was to see the extravagance of the costumes. I wondered for awhile about why now were people suddenly going so crazy and all out on these costumes, but when I noticed that most of them were refrencable to Halloween dress from a 1990's movie I realized that they were dressing up in costumes that we are taught are typical! Lots of cats, vampires, things that go bump in the dark, legos, togas... The Simpsons?? Is U.S. culture really that globalized?

When you think about Argentine culture, what kinds of steriotypes or images do you come up with?

I get this question a lot, but for me before coming here, I honestly had no steriotypes about Argentina other then what people started to tell me. I just grouped it in with the rest of South American culture. The most accurate assumption I had was that they were beautiful people who love soccer.

But the people here have so much more to there personhood, they offer so much to someone willing to seek and to learn. Reality turned out to be so much better then the stories that I had become satisfied with!

Come up with some, and I will let you know what I have seen!

Advice

At the late hours of anoche I spent 2 and a half alongside the cobble stone calle of Laprida Street, outside the creaky iron gate of the house of my host family, making conversation with my friend Peter, from Ingleterra about the modern issues of dating in Rosario, Argentina.

Anoche= Last night Calle= Street Ingleterra= England

Our words discssed all topics; from the start, that here, unlike the Hollywood films that he has seen, it takes time spent to get know someone, build comfortability, and "chat them up" before you ask them out; you can't just ask a fellow out to dinner after the first meet - that person might seem like a creep.

He told me that most young people in this city spend pockets full of money at the clubs, called boliches, to meet a potential person to call novio or novia (boy/girl friend), but to be careful when going here because some have created a saying that "a boyfriend is a good thing for rainy days, holidays, and sundays." Ojó, he says, (watch out!) many many of the people at these places already are in a relationship. He then told me about people whom he has chatted up for 8 months in hopes of a relationship before they expressed that they already were in a strong relationship of 3 years.

He then told me what I thought was very similar to back home in Oregon, about the places to search if you are searching for a something that will last a bit longer. It was that though the boliches are so popular among the youth for a hangout spot, the longest relationships start when you are making friends in the walls of the school, or the church, or the after-hours club or organizaion that you participate in, and that searching for people up to 3 or 4 years older is not a strange thing to do.

He then checked his watch and we split ways.
"Chao amigo, muchas gracias para el ayuda"
"De nada, pero esté es consejo solamente."

It is nothing, but this is only advice....

This is something that can only learned on ones own.

Anoche= Last Night

Calle = Street

Ingleterra = England

Ojó = Watch out

Dating

Rosario can be an incrediablly difficult and confusing atmosphere for the creation of romance. At least in the city center of Rosario, affection is shared with everyone after a first meeting.

My Story: I thought I was going somewhere with a very beautiful Argentine girl, making progress by progressively flirting; conversating, joking, teasing, playfully touching, gaining the confidence to finally put my arm around her. GIRLS, in the states, if a guy likes teasing you and making moves - he wants to date you!!!

Turns out she was never interested... how misleading!!!

And disapointing.

But yet innocently motivated.

I learned first hand about culture shock that day...

And about laughing at my mistakes.

Later I asked a friend, "What do you do to flirt with someone, and let them know you like them?" His first response was "Kissing."

"Say things like, 'Do you know something ? - What ? - You're soo beautiful.'"

He called them Palasos, things you say to someone to make them "start to love you."

In Argentina, because the physical touch is so common in the culture, it doesn't symbolize affection. There is no sneaking your arm around someone during a movie.

To let someone know your intentions, you need confidence, and you need to be verbal and clear about your feelings. You need to let them know that they are very unique and very speical, to you, and as a person singled-out, not needing to be single any longer.

If you can make the right moves and say the right things, dating can be a fantastic thing.

Chic@s

¡Buenas Días!

Welcome to another week of Reporting Live, From Rosario, Argentina!

On the note of last Thursday, lets talk about boys and girls. (Los Chicos y Las Chicas)

Ladys, think... what do you like to wear? To school? To a friends house? Do you like to dress casual? To impress? (Of course, whatever you choose to wear is impressing :) ).

If you like to dress nice, dress-up and get fancy before you go out, then Rosario, Argentina is the

city for you! In Rosario, the girls put on their nicest clothing for every occasion regardless if it is for school, for church, to hang out with friends, to go to a cafe or to go to the park, dresses,

blouses, skirts and scarves are worn by just about every single girl. At night the best outfits

appear, when the scarves are dropped and the dancing shoes are slipped on as thousands of people hit the clubs. I am not trying to over generalize, but I tested these statements over the past week. It applies 9.5 out of 10 times. But do not fear, when at home you can dress, look, and act as casual as you want - no expectations are written here. (My lady friends tell me they wake up some mornings to their mom making toast in her underwear - comfortable!)

I found that the casual dress for a man is accepted in 3 general trends. Like the rest of the culture the primary category is a nice, exspensive and clean looking, designer made (or in the likeness of) outfit. Shopping is HUGE here, for boys and girls. Both my brother and sister work in a clothing shop. When I went to go take a look, I almost fainted by the price tags... of a shirt! Of a cotton shirt!! Sorry, anyways, where was I... Most guys are going to be wearing a colared or well tailored shirt, nice jeans, and definitelly sporting a close shave. The second category is for the casuals. The "I don't care to look like I own a porshe, but I still want to look good, and maybe own a porshe" kind of casual. Screen-print t-shirts, jeans, baseball cap. The third category are the athletics. Football (as in soccer) and Rugby are huge in Argentina, and in any neighborhood or city you go you will find guys wearing Jerseys of one of the local teams. I myself bought a stylish hat at the Newell's Old Boys Soccer Game last Saturday 8).

As you can tell by the size and descriptions of those two preceding paragraphs, men have much more freedom then Women when it comes to dress.

This lopsidedness toward a male benefited society goes also into the everyday roles that are played. When I spoke with my friend Nacho, asking about the main postions held by women, he told me:

"Women are usually teachers, working with the elementary students. Hardly any men teach, except for in the Universities and a few in highschool. They work in the shopping and retail, or also in the restaurants" (translated from spanish).

In the home it is normal that the mom is the one who cooks, who cleans, who does the laundary, and all the other household chores. As I taught my sister the art of Quesadilla making, I quickly asked a few questions:

Philip: Is it wierd for men to cook here? Is it rare?

FL: Yes, you think it's wierd that Fredrico cooks? (my host-brother)

Philip: No, not at all! Do you?

FL: Yes, but he cooks only for himself! Jaja!

My house is no different. My mom Silvia is always over-stressing to get work done, to get a meal cooked, or to wash the dishes, but she never asks for help. When I give a hand she comments : "No don't worry! Be happy!"

I love her :) But I do the work anyways :p

It's not that the girls are required to dress up or to put all the weight on their shoulders all the time, or that they would be scorned by society if they decided to go against the norm, but I believe that they just like to do what they do. The guys like what they do too! What is sad is that a lot of people here don't have a whole lot of money, but the feeling of need to have the nicest clothe continues to effect everyone. Many people won't be able to afford the designer labeled shirt and jeans that are the most desired, and then begin to feel out of place. And it's not a normal feeling to want to give a hand around the house. What they're used to is normal! I don't think they feel opressed, but it's how they have been socialized. But what happens when a girl want to dress differently, or she cant afford the nice clothe, or she doesn't have a place to stay where she can change, or afford all the hygeiene? It would be a nightmare for her. The issue leaves the realm and responsibility of the indivudal and becomes an issue of the construct and functionality of the society as a whole.

Kind of like how we find trends and fashions coming and going in the states (I remember having bleach tipped hair, Converse high-tops and a chain dangling from my wallet when I was in middle-school- then blue hair in highschool), I hope that in time as women gain more free-will power in the society that the concept of fashion over necesity (style over substance) will change with a sharp and constructive creativity that is being tapped into.

A cool little thing that some spanish speakers have come up with: using a @ to subsitute for definite Masculine or Feminine ending (I.E. Not Chicos, nor Chicas, but Chic@s).

Education is important, and that is one thing Argentina is exemplatory for. School, up through the Universities, is free, and everyone takes education very seriously and important. My local guy friends who have been to other parts of the world told me that what they like most about the girls here in Argentina is how intelligent they all are.

Historically in Argentina, like much of the European influenced world, women have found them selves the subordiantes of a male dominated society. If we stepped back a 1000 years ago before Spain started the conquesting and "civilizing" (good excuse Europe, by whose terms are they civilized? Thieving, conquering, egoists?), we would find hundreds of people groups native to the continent in which women played very important roles with at times even more influence in society then the men. For the most part, it was shared. Only recently however, about 50 years

ago, have things begun to progress into this form again. At this time President elect Perón chose his wife Isabel to be his Vice-President during his third-term in office, but then suddenly, after a tragic death, Isabel Martínez de Perón took the Presidency. Then, on December 10th, 2007, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner (to the right) became the First elected Women President of Argentina, and remains so today. As the the results come in from YESTERDAYS election, we will see "should she stay or should go now" for another term, (sorry, horrible pun from a great band: Joey Ramone would be very disapointed).

I want to go into some of the inter-gender interactions, but I won't bore you more right now with an extensive lecture.

How about later this week, we discuss a little thing called Love?

Tell me-

What do you want to know?

What should I look for?

What questions should I ask locals?

Do you even have any questions?

SNEAK PREVIEW:

Love is a verb, (one of those actions you do) but here in Rosario many more verbs are attached to the interactions of affection.

Norms

Over the past month and a half I have been trying to understand these strange things called "the norms."

By definition, a "norm" is a pattern of behavior expected within a particular society in a given situation. (The shared belief of what is normal and acceptable shapes and enforces the actions of people in a society.)

A society is defined as a group of interacting and culturally sharing individuals.

(I found this definition on AboutSociology.com)

For example,

it is a norm for our society to write from the left side of a paper,

and to not make a space

after every break in a sentence.

In Argentina

it is a norm to eat dinner between 8 and 11pm.

In Argentina

eggs for dinner is a norm.

Eggs for breakfast is bizarre!

When you meet-up with friends or someone you care about

you greet them with a kiss on the cheek.

Doing anything other then what is considered standard,

or accepted

,

even if it is better for us,

is breaking a norm

.

Another food example,

I made pizza a few days ago using hamburger.

Argentina is VERY famous for its delicious hamburger,

world famous.

My sister thought the idea of meat on a pizza was wierd,

and she wiped most of it off...

In many schools from our society it is a norm to raise your hand and to wait to be called on before speaking.

But in many other parts of the world you might find that the norm in school is to speak freely and openly in a continual conversation, or to not speak at all as the one teaching teaches.

For different genders what do you think are the norms?

How are girls supposed to act?

How are boys supposed to act?

My friends, Argentina is a completely different ballgame then Portland.

For Monday, I want to have a general idea of what the heck is going on here, and I want to know why. It should be interesting, I mean in the first place, The President of Argentina is MS. Cristiana Fernandez.

How do you think having a women President has changed what are considered norms for women in this society?

Paracaidismo

Mi fin de semana:

My weekend occured as follows:

Skydiving is one activity that I have wanted to do my entire life, as far back as I can remember into my childhood I was jumping off of furniture at home, and as I got older off of platforms at High-Adventure Summer-Camps.

An E-mail I recieved this morning reads as follows:

Dear Students,

Please know that AHA strongly advises against anything that may cause you bodily harm, and that your study abroad insurance policy will NOT cover charges or expenses related to the following: Illness, Accident, treatment or medical condition arising out of hang-gliding, paragliding, skydiving, ect...

Please see the attached policy for more details on your insurance plan.

Best,

Rosario site Director

Yikes...

I find a lot of respect for this Study Abroad Program for sending out this e-mail, they show a lot of responsibility by discouraging such actitivty as sky-diving to not just the interested parties, but to every student.

But with any activity that you do I understand that you have to weigh out the risks, the costs, and the possible reprocrussions in advance, because any decision you make can have long-lasting effects, some that effect alot more people then yourself. I think that is responsibility as well.

I found an oppurtunity and I took it.

This last weekend I checked off one of my life goals.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asepKvhBKaM&feature=feedu

Argentina

As I rode the colectivo today out of the city (Colectivo: Argentine term for bus)I began thinking about how the borders that are, came to be. Mostly all of them are natural, created by mountain ranges such as the division of Chile and Argentina with The Andes, (take a look at the view of them in the picture below, it's down a bit; they are gorgeous!), by rivers, such as the border of Uruguay or the border in the North with Brazil,

(check out the Uruguay/Argentina border from the satelite picture of the river directly left; the main piece of water is The Parana River Delta, and Uruguay is on the lower-right), and even in The State of Santa Fe in which Rosario is situated, the Parana River seperates The Province of Entre Rios which is right next door, kind of like how The Colombia River is used to distinguish Oregon from Washington.

And then of course the Ocean along the

South-East, all the way down to the Antartic Waters where yes, Penguins reign.

Soon however my mind was rerouted from

thinking of the drawn out, mapped and legal borders, to the unseen, the untalked about borders, that have been influenced by society and divide the people.

Argentina is an interesting country and very different from Portland. From the outside and at first glance one would think that the majority of the population lives densley populated within

the cities, but in reality the majority is spread out across the country like the roots of a tree, in

which attention is not drawn unless you are

specifically looking.

My friend Rogelio tells me that treinta-millones personas (13 million people) live within the Buenas Aires Metropolitan area, nearly 4 million in the city itself. It is a site of international business and culture. This population nearly triples that of any other city in Argentina.

But Argentina is a Third World Country. The rich are exponentially more wealthy then the poor, who in their poverty are in extraordinarily low living conditions, but the poor are also the majority. The wealthy upper class and decently living middle class families occupy the city centers, but as I mentioned the city centers are only the rarity.

As I rode the colectivo today out of the city, I could watch as the barrios (neighborhoods)

degraded in quality. At the furthest outskirts of the city the Shanty-Towns are filled with houses created by left-overs from construction projects, such as plywood, bricks and sheet metal, many times allowed to be built for free and without policies on sanitation or location. Basic services such as refridgeration or clean water may be absent. Living in the city center I hardly ever realize that there is something more then the cobble stone streets,

coffee shop cornered, shopping center lined city blocks. Last week I had to break it to someone that Argentina is not a 1st World Country, because all we ever see within the limits of the European influenced Rosario is a representation of economic influence for nice things and brand name items. We never have to leave the city center, it has everything we need to survive and to be self-sustaining without noticing the poverty.

So what is a 1st World and what is a 3rd World Country?

Well, Yahoo answered it for me. 1st World Countries are those that have the most advanced economies, the biggest influence, the highest standards of living, and the best technology.

3rd World basically means that the country is under the influence of these other nations, because they don't have access to the best technology, to a strong and independent economy, or the ability to create a balanced and high standard of living across the stretch of the people.

What I have found in Argentina is that the characteristics of a 1st World Nation exsist within the

city centers, but they are completely absent for the majority. What shocked me about my bus ride even more is that I wasn't only seeing the neighborhoods show more evidence of poverty,

but the level of racial diversity went up the further we went out as well. I imagine the actual map

of Argentina should look like a dart board, with the center point being the target for wealth and development, but forgeting that their is so much more to the board then the narrow point of interest in which we give all our focus.

(Really, that is the best imagery that I have heard to the physical image of the Nation, and to a third world country. Picture Upper-Class city center buildings and parks

on the bullseye, and imagine that

each ring out has degregading buildings

and parks of lessening quality.)

I've been trying to figure this whole thing out, but its going to to take a lot more research and learning to find out why the unequal distribution of wealth and standard of living conditions exists.

Have you noticed places like this within the United States?

Are their neighborhoods you know of that are given less attention and support then others?

What do you think some of the effects would be if you lived your entire life in one of these isolated, self-sustaining city centers, like in the picture above, only ever seeing the top of the tree?

Wow...

So I came home from school yesterday ready to relax

from an exhausting day of school and spanish, but what I found sitting there on the kitchen table (mesa de la cocina) rewrote how the history of my night would turn out. A shoebox package

adressed "SILVIA SERRATO, ROSARIO, ARGENTINA,"

scribed by one "JESSICA A . WOOD, THE DALLES, OR."

The E.E.U.U... USA.

Why oh Jessica, did you have to submit me to this torture??

5 words, and one 1 big fat singing fish flashed me back to nightmares from my childhood in The United States:

"Big Mouth Billy Bass".

Actually, the gift was VERY well thoughtout, and I must give many many respects to Jessica.

Everytime Big Billy sings the words of Silvia's catchphrase can be heard:

"Don't worry. Be happy."

It's jealousy. Simple as that. I hope that I can be this thoughtfull after I return home!

The production of the E.E.U.U. has redeemed itself to me today by offering another gift of peace, an oppurtunity to enjoy and share with my family the United States tradition of Thanksgiving

in the respects of which the celebration was originially intended; in sharing cultures.

As my mind replays the history of what ensued after that day in , I tell my self that this time will be different.

I begin by enjoying an equal gift from this culture, from my family - handrolled and amazingly delicious, crisp Empanadas.

Not the Happiest Field Trip

We went on a short field-trip today to El Museo de la Memoria in my Human Rights class, a museum designed not to show memories, but to build them in people as to not let them be forgotten.

Like many public services in Argentina, this museum was free.

In 2010, what was once a house known as "Casa de los Padres" became renovated into what stands today.

It is a museum to build memories, because after serving its time as a house it was used for over 25 years as a Concentration Camp for citizens and residents of Argentina during the politically unstable years of the Military Dictatorship that ensued.

Police and special military forces were used to "dissapear" thousands of innocent citizens between 1976-1983, whom the tyranical government called a threat to right-wing idealism.

The photograph above is a puzzle with missing pieces for all the people from this house who are still "disappeared".

To this day Argentines have banded together to keep an army from reforming in the country, and to make sure that no one forgets the trajedy that has happened, and can happen when corrupt individuals are given total power.

A Local Holiday

Culture is what defines and distinguishes any given group of an interacting community of people, as a whole. We've discussed foods, clothing and family, but pieces of culture can be beliefs and stories passed down among generations. Another distiniguishing aspect of cultural groups is how they celebrate these beliefs. On October 7th, every year, businesses, schools, and restaurants of Rosario,

Argentina close down in observance of "Dia de la Virgin de Rosario." Students in uniforms gather around to sing songs and wave banners in religious praise, occupying the middle of shut-down intersections as couples listen in over a cup of fresh coffee from nearby cafés, and the police help out by blocking the streets with patrol cars.

I myself had no inclination of what the holiday was about, or how much significance it had to some people. That was until I got the crash course lesson, finding a street baracaded off by pulsing light police suvs and having the curiosity to venture down the danger. Actually, I thought I was walking to a protest, one of the many that the people here in Rosario assemble for that commonly close streetways.

But I didn't find protesting, I found cheering! Check it out, I pulled out my Flip-Cam and caught

a bit of it on Camera. I hope it's not to loud.

From what I saw I felt like this was a very popular holiday. I tried to interview some locals on the history and influences of the holiday later, but no one could seem to come up with a good response. Person after person, I interviewed I was told that they didn't know what the day was about, they just knew it was a local holiday celebrated soley in Rosary, that had become ingrained in the invisible structure of the society. But, from the boys and girls that I saw in this assembly, it seems like to at least some people there are deep deep values held in this event.

When I came home Mom was making pastas for dinner, so I sat down to give a hand and to ask her a few questions about it:

"So, do you know why people here celebrate this day?"

The Feast of Our Mother the Patron of the Rosary, she tells me, is a religious holiday from Catholic and Christian roots to give honor to the Virgin Mary, whom in traditional and local Rosarian beliefs, they turn to to ask for protection for the city.

"Has this holiday been around as long as you have lived in Rosario?"

She told me that as far back as her memory goes, back to being a little girl in elemenary school, she remembers the city has observed this holiday.

To the Catholics it is time to honor the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus. It is a time spent with family and friends feasting and singing songs, and then in the evenings spent in a special Holy Mass. To the rest of the city, it is also a time to spend with family and friends, to take a long weekend for an adventure, but everyone in the community, no matter what they believe, is effected by this local holiday because it is and will always be an honored tradition. But I think that another reason why they continue to keep it around in tradition is because it has become a unique celebration in which they can hold to as their own, and it helps to distinguish them as their own culture.

---------------------

What are some local traditions in Oregon, or specifically in Portland that have become distingushing parts of the culture? Of about all the places in the world I can think of, I think Portland may have the most. Hint..."Keep Portland Wierd"

Why would Portland want to stay Wierd in the first place?

Hmm... I'm going to be thinking about that one myself for awhile.

-------------------

Until the next time,

¡Hasta Lluego Cumpañer@s!

- Philip Muir

Thunder and Lighting and Chocolate Milk

As I sit at the unused, wooden, dinner table as old as the
house it is kept in itself, light flickers through the window like a firelfly crackling a split-second display of awesomeness to attract its mate, 1 out of 37 Billion in the sky.

I am attracted by this awesome display of power, I am attracted to the mystery of the clouds that won't tell me why or how it flashes so, but persists in its beautiful perormance. Now the rain comes to join in the madness.

This weekend is a holiday in which has been long anticipated by my fellow students and I, an oppurtunity to spend an extra day without school for travel or excursion. But I will not go anywhere this time.

At the riverside restaurant with my Sister, my Mom, and my 2 charming grandparents who I recognize most by their smiles, I sip a tall glass of warm milk, stirring with my spoon to infuse the melting strip of dark chocolate. I think that this is real Chocolate Milk, but I remember nights spent sipping a hot glass from powder, around a glowing fire in the snow.

Thunderstorms rolling in share secrets of wisdom, that it is not wise for camping this weekend, and I cancel my train ride to Uruguay.

This will be a weekend to know more the city in which I live, know her streets, her people, her flaws and her perfections. Besides, I can always go to Ugrugay as long as she stands by Argentinas side.

The Rain Tells Story of Home

La lluvia dice historias de... mi lugar de origen.

It's been 34 days since I arrived in Argentina, and today, in the midst of preparing for Mid-Term exams this week, was the first day that reminded me of home.

It was quite a site to take the bus today, jam packed as always, people sliding back and forth as the bus quickly breaks and gasses again, but today the stinch of soaked cotton and wool clouded the air.

You can tell that a people is not raised in a land of falling cats and dogs (rain) when a zippered sports jacket of nylon suffices for a rain coat, and you have to hold off on doing the laundry until the sun finds its shine just so you can utilize the full potential of a clothe line. Yes... my bedroom smells like a gym locker room, but I still feel blessed.

I am the 1 out of 24 American Students that I know of that has access to a laundry machine in his/her own house,

and the rain with its' harmony beating softly on the window does not bring anxiety, but rather it reminds me of home.

Tango Night at The Fluvial

Tango Night at The Fluvial



Tango is one of the most popular of the historical dances here in Argentina. Originating in the late 1800's, it gained popularity within the lower-class circles that mainly centralized within the capital city of Buenas Aires and also across the Rió de la Plata in Montevideo, Uruguay. It quickly spread throughout all of Latin America, gaining popularity and picking up adaptations from within every society that took it in, and has become today a very influential piece in pop-cultures througout the entire world, including The United States.

A few Thursday nights ago I attended a Tango Lesson, my first, and caught some of the beautiful performance on video camera, you can watch on the youtube link below.
((Bailé con la Profesora/ I danced with the professor))

I learned that in Tango the man must lead the women with confidence in every step precisely to the rhythm of the music, but it is the women who displays the most elegant, the most physically masterful, and most inteligent performance in the motions of the Tango dance.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaKDBKmCbhA

17.9.2011