A pisco a day keeps the doctor away

It's been a long time since I've updated my blog. The last few months I've been focused mostly on schoolwork and cooking (yum!). Since everyone knows schoolwork is boring, I figured I'd restart the blog with a post about a short yet delightful trip I took over Easter break: Santiago and Valparaíso, Chile.

Sunrise in the main plaza of Santiago

We just spent a few short days in Chile but, in true Pravdic fashion, I made the most of them food-wise. I loved the giant empanadas which are typical of Chilean street food. I also enjoyed mote con huesillo, a delightfully sweet drink/snack which consists of cooked wheat grains in a peach nectar.

The Chilean (Supersized) empanada, and mote con huesillo.

I also enjoyed the fresh fish I ate at a restaurant within the Central Market in Santiago, and the absurdly heaped plate of meat served over french fries I enjoyed in Valparaíso. But undoubtedly my favorite culinary delight from Chile was the Pisco Sour: a delightful beverage made of pisco (a grape brandy) lemon juice, sugar, and in some cases an egg white. I sampled quite a few pisco sours and was never let down. Delicious!

Looking down at foggy Santiago.

Pablo Neruda's house (one of three).

Palacio de la Moneda

We spent a couple days enjoying the incredibly rich and varied cultural offerings of Chile's capital. A great art museum beneath the Palacio de la Moneda, Pablo Neruda's house, and an old bar frequented by Chile's artistic, intellectual, and political communities for years are just a few of the city's offerings.

El Mercado Central: home of fantastic seafood

On our third and final day in Chile, we made the short trip in bus to Valparaíso, a bustling, lively port city on the coast of the Pacific. The city is characterized by the series of hills- neighborhoods accessed by funiculars or endless sets of stairs. We climbed one hill characterized by the beautiful murals complementing the brightly painted buildings and gorgeous blue sky and water. That afternoon we headed over to the neighboring resort town of Viña del Mar and spent a beautiful few hours on the beach. That night, it was back over the Andes mountains in bus. This trip was delightful, though far too short: I can now add the rest of Chile to the ever-growing list of future travel destinations. And Valparaíso made it onto the (slightly) shorter list of future homes.

View of Valparaíso

Enjoying one last pisco sour beachside in Viña del Mar

Click here for more pictures.

A Romantic Dinner for One

Two Things I love about Argentina:

-A delicious pizza from the pizzeria next door to my apartment costs under seven U.S. dollars. It lasts me approximately three meals. I know this isn't the most nutritious approach to eating, but I try to balance that out by loading on the veggies.

-My guilty pleasure: Argentine sangria. A.k.a. wine and Fanta. I prefer grapefruit although orange is traditional. Yum!

Beautiful Mendoza

Sunday I got back from a very busy trip of just under two weeks. Lauren, Dimelza and I spent what seemed like months on buses, but it was worth it for the incredible places we visited. Our journey began in Mendoza, capital city of the province of the same name. Of all the Argentine cities I've seen thus far, this was by far my favorite- it's gorgeous.

The region is considered a desert, but the residents harness water from the nearby snow-peaked mountains in an irrigation system. This system supports the growth of grapes to make the famous wines of Mendoza, particularly known for its Malbecs. We got to experience this with several wine tours, accessed on rented bikes- the wine-making process is fascinating and the wine delicious of course!

The city itself also uses an irrigation system; irrigation canals line all the streets. This makes it possible for the city to be incredibly green- in the middle of the desert, the streets of Mendoza are lined with trees and there is an enormous, beautiful park. We spent a lovely afternoon walking around the (incredibly clean!) city and enjoying the bountiful green spaces.

Parque San Martín

I hope to return to Mendoza to spend more time there- in fact I think I would love to live there. I love the broad, clean avenues, the houses, and the dry desert heat. Not to mention the wine!

Taking Argentina by storm

Hello dear readers,

I have been rather silent for the last few weeks on the blogging front. This is because I have mostly been concerned with finishing up school work and haven't had too much to share. In case you are wondering, I am done with all but one of my classes (save a couple final papers to turn in...) and everything went quite well!

This quiet period, however, had been the calm before the storm. Tomorrow I am embarking on a whirlwind tour of several Argentine provinces (4, to be exact, not to mentions the others we will drive through) with my valiant companions Lauren and Dimelza. This is rather an important time for them as their time in Argentina is rapidly drawing to a close. We decided to celebrate this wonderful semester by subjecting ourselves to approximately 75 hours of bus travel spaced out over a luxurious 11 days. Please be aware that this is not, I repeat not, an exaggeration but rather an estimate that I just made in my head with my mad addition skills.

Hellish though this might sound, I'm feeling pretty sure it'll be worth it. First we're heading to Mendoza, a.k.a. Wine Country Argentina! We shall be touring wineries and partaking of the region's delights. Then the plan is to visit three national parks in three different provinces (all reasonably near to each other). This might be a little ambitious, but we'll see how it goes. Sniped from google images:

Aconcagua, home to Argentina's highest mountain peak (Mendoza Province).

Valle de la Luna (San Juan Province).
Talampaya (La Rioja Province).

Next we will travel directly from Mendoza to Posadas, in the upper eastern corner of Argentina. This trip is part of our "Indigenous Rights and the Environment" class; we will be enjoying the natural wonders of Iguazú waterfalls as well as getting to visit an indigenous community our professor works with.

We will get back from Iguazú on the 11th of December. And then, one short week later, my family comes to visit me!!!!!!!!! Perhaps you can tell that I'm a bit excited to see them. I has been far too long and I miss them like crazy; plus, I can't wait to share this beautiful country with them!

With my parents and brother I will be traveling back to Iguazú falls and also Uruguay, although we will spend most of our time in Buenos Aires; I think I'll enjoy the experience of living in Capital for a week.

Then... well let's just say I've got big plans for this summer (winter for you northern hemisphere-folks.) I'll share details when they're all ironed out but suffice it to say that I plan to continue taking Argentina by storm.

Next stop on the cathedral tour of Argentina

Yesterday I took an impromptu trip to Luján, a city close to Buenos Aires. Luján is known for its religious past: one day, many moons ago, a man was traveling with several statues of the Virgin Mary (among other goods, presumably). Then the wagon got stuck and the only way he could get it to move was by removing one particular statue, which apparently was a sign to build a giant cathedral and found a city. The city of Luján. Clearly, I'm a little skeptical about this motivation for building a city, but the overall effect is rather nice.

Unfortunately, although Luján is very close to Buenos Aires, it ended up taking 5 hours of travel each way... in the end quite the labor-intensive day trip. Nevertheless it was very fun and a very pretty city (nice call, Virgin!). I love impromptu day trips.

The Church of McDonald's. In the name of the Big Mac, the Nuggets, and the Fries, Amen.

Impressive central plaza.

Don't cry for me, America!

The time has come for me to make a rather big announcement. A thought, an idea, a temptation that I have been mulling over months has finally become reality. The very day of my arrival in Argentina it occurred to me; since then, I have been torn, going back and forth, unsure of the path I wanted to take. I made pro-con lists. I had several anguished dreams. I brought up the topic with anyone who would listen, desperate to talk it out with someone other than myself.

And now, it is decided; it is official. I will be staying in La Plata, Argentina for another semester. I will not be returning to the U.S. until July of 2011.

A few weeks ago, in fact the same day that the ex-president Néstor Kirchner passed away, I walked from my house to the central Plaza San Martín. I have walked this path dozens of times: from my door to the cultural center Pasaje Dardo Rocha is a walk of about 25 minutes. On this day, I set out in an inexplicably light-hearted mood with my camera in hand, determined to document my near-daily journey for those who don't know this city I have grown to love so much. As I took time to search for beautiful things in a familiar environment, I got to thinking about all the things that make me love the city. Although I had already more or less decided I would be staying, that day made me more convinced than ever that it was the right thing to do. I would like to invite you all to join me on my walk as I attempt to put into words the strong emotions that have compelled me to extend my stay.

Sweet public art one block from my house.

I love the colors of the city. The colors of La Plata are everywhere: in the boldly colored buses, the street art, the buildings themselves, the trees that line the streets. I love the abundance of greenery and the many plazas that dot the city.

View down my beautiful, tree-lined street.

Aloe vera plant a few blocks away from my house. We also have one right out front.

Strolling down Diagonal 74.

I love the people I have met. Largely of Italian descent, they argue politics at an ever-increasing volume; interrupting is an art form. I love that they are so involved. I love how the women dress. I love how everywhere I go, I find people willing to engage me in fascinating conversations, overlooking their (usually negative) opinions about U.S. foreign policy to reach out to a stranger. I love that they laugh with me, not at me, when I talk about my papas (potatoes) instead of my papás (parents).

Bank of the Province of Buenos Aires on Calle 7.

I love that there are more than two political parties; that there is a socialist party, a communist party, and a whole slew of others whose names I don't know. I love that my views about what's politically feasible, my views about elements of my own country's history, my views about political participation are challenged constantly through classes and conversations.

I love medialunas. I (shockingly) love the meat. I love dulce de leche. I love bizcocho cookies. I love mate, and especially the culture that surrounds it.

The main (administrative) building of the University.

I love that higher education is free and is considered a right, not a privilege.

Cuddling with a friend in my final destination: Plaza San Martín.

I love all these things about La Plata, and many more. I can keep on describing them, but I can't explain the entirety of my decision with discrete reasons. It's not as straightforward as a pro-con list. But it comes down to a pretty simple bottom line: I am happy here. I love being here. That is not to say that I love every minute of every day, and I certainly have low points, days where I miss my family, days where I just want to speak English and go to Trader Joe's. But I love it so much that the thought of leaving after just one short semester was crushing. And, much as I will miss so many people and things, I know that I have made the right choice.

Home of the Oddly-Placed Consonant

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away (from the United States) there was a president named Juan Domingo Perón. Perón was a wonderful president was a terrible, terrible man remains a fairly polarizing figure. One fact that cannot be disputed is that he built a group of large hotels on the Argentine coast, just a few hours south of Buenos Aires, and instituted reforms that made it possible for average Argentine working families to have a beach vacation. Suh-weet!

This weekend, las chicas and I had the chance to travel to Chapadmalal, Home of the Oddly-Placed Consonant and Perón's famous hotels. In fact, we even got to stay in one of those hotels! The occasion? The Comisión's annual Jóvenes y Memoria (Youth and Memory) conference. Thousands (6,000 to be precise) of high school students flocked upon Chapadmalal over the course of 15 days in turns of 3 days to display the final result of a year-long investigation project. Most of these projects were videos, and most had to do with the last dictatorship, desaparecidos, or the Malvinas War, although there were some exceptions. It was really neat to get to see so many politically involved high schoolers presenting truly impressive documentaries and plays. Eating in a dining hall with approximately 600 boisterous teenagers was also an interesting experience.

We also got to enjoy the picturesque beach of Chapadmalal, although the frigid winds and presumably frigid-er water prevented any kind of swimming monkey business. Here are some photos for your viewing pleasure:

One of the hotels.

View of the same hotel from the pier.

Alarmingly corroded concrete pier.

Enjoying some mate (particularly its warming properties) on the rocks.

That reminds me... have I not mentioned mate? Ah, the uninitiated... a blog post for another day, me thinks. Until then, some parting wisdom from Chapa 2010:

Para ser adolescente siempre, que es como vencer...
To be young forever, is how to overcome