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

Tastes of home

Last night I had a delicious dream. I found a special Cereal Grocery Store, with a wide and glorious selection of cereals. They didn't stock brands from the U.S. but instead made home-made versions of familiar cereals- they even featured Pretzel Cereal, an oft-discussed but still theoretical invention of Greggie's. Then I woke up and returned to the sight of the store, only to realize that the cereal bounty had been a dream. Luckily, the friendly shop owner pulled out a dusty box of cereal and suggested I try it; it didn't look promising but we enjoyed a bowl together. Sure enough it was delicious, and I was content.

Then I woke up from that dream.

It's not that the cereal here isn't good, it's just not widely consumed, there's only a few very basic options, and it comes in tiny bags, so whenever I buy some it lasts me about 2 days only. How I could go for a box of Post Great Grains: Crunchy Pecans. Yum.

I don't miss too much about the U.S., friends and family excluded. I do frequently miss familiar foods, like cereal and home-made cookies and the entirety of Trader Joe's products. To combat this, last week Lauren and I made chocolate chip cookies:


They were delicious, although turned out kind of funny-looking due to the fact that we have a gas oven and no way of ascertaining the temperature. Also they turned out very dark brown because instead of brown sugar, I found only (apparently similar ?) black sugar. Nevertheless, delicious.

Upcoming in Important Food Events: Thanksgiving Day. This is likely to be a traumatic event for me, being the first Thanksgiving I can remember being away from home for (with the exception of one year in Florida, which I can barely remember). What will I do without Nani's turkey??? How will I survive???

We are going to host a Thanksgiving dinner, as is tradition among the WM students here. Which is a little bit of an intimidating feat considering that the most I've ever contributed in the past was a pumpkin pie one year (at least I know I can make that, though!) So I would like to conclude this brief blog post with a plea: please send me any recipes you use, family secrets, tips on not setting the turkey on fire, etc. Hopefully our Argentine Día de Accion de Gracias will be a success!