Arte Urbano

Hola dear readers,

This weekend's main event was the Puma Urban Art Fair. It was 3pm on a Sunday and I was debating whether or not to go... but I'm really glad I did!

 The fair had the highest concentration of hipsters I've seen since Knox (home sweet home, haha). I really enjoyed the zines — homemade booklet-style magazines you can see hanging in the picture here. They usually feature photographs, drawings, creative writing, and awareness-raising for social justice/human rights.

 "No one knew what to do with their hands." This zine featured Buenos Aires-isms, like a public bus driver advising someone about exactly which route they should take, friends discussing 'the problem with Argentina' on a sofa, etc.

 I liked this one because it's effectively jolting: it makes you think about what your expectations are and why.

 This zine is formatted like a passport (the cover looks like a passport cover and it's passport-sized). Its subject is the first- to third-world exploitation of the Chiquita Banana company (whose workers lack basic rights). The page before this one is covered with bar codes and says "Your name is now a number." This page explains that the word "Chiquita" means "little girl" in Spanish, and can be used in a derogatory way. Next to a picture of a banana, it says "'Tropical object of perception' from the first world about South America." I found this really interesting — I had rarely thought about the exploitation in the banana industry before specifically studying it (The United Fruit Company has been one of the most infamous exploiters in Latin America), and bananas and nameless workers were hardly my first associations with Latin America. Our conditions and perceptions are so extremely far-removed.

The invisibility of exploitation like this to the people who benefit from it is what keeps it going on — kudos to this zine-maker for drawing attention to it. The first step to solving a social problem is getting people to realize one exists.

One of my favorite parts of the Knox experience was reading my friend Devan's zines in the cafeteria at lunch (she would make them and leave them on the tables for people to read as they ate). She is a wonderful writer and activist! Check them out here.

 Amazing graffiti at el Centro Cultural Recoleta.

A picture that will surely end up on Facebook.

 

New graffiti en mi barrio (in my neighborhood). The text says "This is not Palermo" — Palermo, where my university is, is the high-class Uptown of Buenos Aires.

  

 "Do as I say, not as I do."

I 'liked' my friend Daniel's picture of the Recoleta clock tower on Facebook. A couple was kissing in front of it, and he wrote "I didn't intend that, but Argentineans are always kissing everywhere." La verdad que si (very true). This picture was originally of a concert going on in the background. I saw two amazing bands who I haven't found out the names of yet — one indie and one rock nacional. I will find out soon and post them.

I saw a presentation by a group of designers and their creative process. They draw most of their designs on paper first, and later transfer them to digital and print. It was pretty cool. And I saw lots more urban art, photography, and sculptures at el centro cultural. I got into an artistic mood, wrote, and took lots of pictures. Here is a sample of the result! haha.

 (This picture is sideways on purpose, because I think it looks better that way, haha.)

On Saturday I saw a Canadian circus at the Obelisco with Jorge. My favorite parts were a man dancing and rolling around in a giant hampster wheel and a bunch of glittery confetti raining down. After the show Jorge made a delicious chicken pie — he studied cooking for two years and his food is the best that I've had since my grandma's — and watched three episodes of "House." That is what I call one perfect afternoon. =)

Another nice part of my week was chatting with my old housemate, Leo. He unfortunately has to move, because of the trouble-starting woman who replaced me. He's still looking for a place and will hopefully be able to find one soon. 

 This is Leo in his natural habitat. Usually the stones he carves and polishes to make jewelery are spread across the table. He made the ceiling at the top of the picture — it divides the room in two and there is a loft above. It will be extremely bittersweet for him to move!

In the background is Leo and Sietske's big National Geographic map. We have a great time talking about the world and pointing to the places that come up (Leo is from Colombia, Sietske from Holland, and they have friends from all around the world).

Tomorrow is my trip to Uruguay! =)

I hope it is feeling more like springtime for all of you up north!

Besos
Kaeli

6, 7 ,8

 

Hola todos,

These last weeks have felt like months. They've been full of highs and lows, people and places. Half in English, half in Spanish, my mind has been half on the US and half where I am.

I see everyone graduating on Facebook, and doing American things (Flunk Day, ACEN, Disneyworld, being hipsters-- haha). I miss it all! I miss Women of Influence, my family, the Knox library, theatre performances, poetry readings, AnSo classes, midwestern antique stores... I've been missing it especially much these weeks, and mostly the little things. I went to Friday's and reveled in that familiar kitsch, and even in the waiter thumping a bottle of ketchup down on the table-- that never, ever happens here! Although I have a passion for the new-and-exciting, I crave that familiar grounding now and then.

I've spent 1/4 of my time studying and 3/4 trying to maintain my sanity and peace in spite of studying, haha. My grades on my midterms were 6, 7, and 8 (all out of 10). Even though I am used to 9's and 10's in the US, I'm proud of those grades because even for Argentines, an 8 is tough to get, and it seems I lost most of my points because of redaction/articulation, which I don't feel bad about at all. I have time to improve my Spanish, so if I can communicate effectively and know the subject-matter, I did what I set out to do!

Looking at my pictures, I can't believe all the different things I've done (especially taking my hours spent singing indie songs and chatting on facebook into account). These pictures are only from last week (they are so slow to upload that I'm surprised I had the patience... it's only because I'm so proud of them and so sentimentally attached!). I'll upload this week's pictures in the next few days.

 Last Sunday I went to the San Telmo feria with June. We browsed the gift shops, tried on hats, and looked at all the other crafts. June looked great in cylindrical fur hat. My favorite was a purple, floppy hat. June said I looked like a yanqui (yankee) in a che revolutionary hat I tried on: one stereotypically-American taste I had never thought about! This picture is of a living statue that's there at the fair every week.

After the feria, June and I went to El Caminito in La Boca. It's the first time I'd ever been there, even though it's one of the first places most tourists usually go. I'd avoided it because I'd thought that it was essentially some brightly painted houses, fakey souvenirs, and expensive touristy restaurants. But I was very wrong! The place is full of tourists, yes, but also full of life. It is beautiful and bright. We ate lunch at a restaurant there, and I saw the best tango show I've seen in Buenos Aires (I've seen about six so far), by the Caminito Trio pictured here. My favorite tango songs feature impassioned (usually bitter) women singers: you can see how impassioned this one is in the photo. You can also see the Boca-style houses through the window if you look.

 

My favorite parts of the show were the live band (I love watching people play instruments) and the dancers. Although tango dances are not my favorite ones to watch, I loved this particular show because of the skill they had in dancing through all the chaos. In the middle of the show (which began on a stage outside), it started to rain, and more and more tables and people moved to shelter inside. The tangueros danced between the increasing tables, people, and waiters so smoothly, in a very limited space. If someone asked them for a picture, the woman flipped her leg up and leaned back, the man holding her — a complicated pose they could snap into in an instant. It was really impressive, and fun to watch. I'd like to go back sometime!

 This is Puerto Madero, one of the fanciest areas of Buenos Aires. I went there with Fede(-libertarian) twice, and we ate American-style food and talked.

 I like the green light in this picture. It reminds me of the Great Gatsby! haha.

 This is Marta Minujín's Torre de Babel (made of books from around the world). Years ago she had made a Parthenon of books. Monumental works like these are her trademark.

 This is a bus stop somewhere (possibly the one I take on my way to school). Although it takes me an hour to get there by bus, I get to look at San Telmo, la Casa Rosada, el Congreso, the broadway and Obelisco area, a normal urban street (Córdoba), and Palermo. It is a beautiful commute! (I could also take the subway, but it takes me 15 minutes to walk there, 30 minutes on the train, and 15 to walk to my school, so I'd rather take the bus and get to see things, without having to walk so much. ) I like the reflection of the church in the window in this picture.

 

Mercado San Telmo (to the left) has vegetable stores, antiques, and lots of vintage clothes. 

 This is Jorge (my English student) and his dog Arca. We are going to Uruguay this Wednesday!

And my touristy debut in Caminito! =)

Thanks for reading, everyone!
Besos!
Kaeli

Fernando, ¡cómo te amo! Centinela

Hola todos,

This week has been like a return to summer! It's been nice in every way. I saw two nice neighborhoods I'd never been to before and some art, stocked up on groceries at Chinatown, and had lots of great times with friends. 

Over the weekend I hung out with Jorge at an Irish bar and saw a rock band and Marta Minujín's Torre de Babel, a big tower made of books from around the world. On Saturday I went to an international fiesta with two of my roommates at Niceto Club (where we danced from 2 to 6am!). While it was fun, I decided that I definitely prefer rock and salsa music as opposed to reggaetón, and have a 3-hour limit for dancing in rooms completely filled with smoke.

I went to the San Telmo feria, Puerto Madero, and Chinatown with a new friend, Fede (a different one: Fede-libertarian), who I met in my Social Psychology class. We've been having great, really interesting conversations, made even more interesting by our different political and class backgrounds. I feel transported back to America when we talk sometimes. We went to a restaurant, art gallery, and three supermarkets at Chinatown. I showed him the joys of Pocky and Kancho cookies, and stocked up on exotic veggies, Asian sweets, spicy things, and sunflower bread, and he showed me an area of Belgrano I've never seen. =)

On Monday I met a Brazilian guy, Tiago. He speaks Spanish, English, Portuguese, and Italian, and we spoke in a bit of all. Eu amo o idioma Português! We're going to do a language (Portuguese-English) exchange. We have so much in common (love art, literature, travel, San Telmo...) and have been having great conversations, too. On Saturday I'm going to a super-bohemian party (in San Telmo!) to help him paint his room. =)

 In a restaurant we went to at Plaza Dorrego, I saw some graffiti I liked written in marker and pen in the bathroom. I think they are good inspiration for poems. My favorites were:

• Joe: you're my favorite song!
• Fernando, ¡cómo te amo! Centinela ("Fernando, how I love you! Signed, Centinela")
• Hoy comienza mi nueva vida ("Today my new life begins")

Here are two pictures of Defensa street in San Telmo on a Sunday: 

And me: the most surprising species on planet Earth!

 

¡Cariños!

Kaeli

 

Sobreviví!

Hola todos,

The internet cooperated enough to eventually let me upload last week's pictures (check them out in the entry below!), but stopped its concessions there... haha. So I'll upload more pictures when I can.

I survived my week of tests! It was actually quite a feat. I studied constantly, in a panic, for about six days straight; it was the most stressed I think I've ever been. I couldn't sleep, felt faint and clammy, and had terrible stomachaches. It was pretty bad. If I don't pass all of my classes, I won't graduate, and that is what's really been stressing me out, along with what not-graduating would entail.

Even though I'd done all the readings, I hadn't studied them closely, and I really needed to. I had to memorize the names and centuries of hundreds of medieval art works, hundreds of important sociological names, dates, theories, and terms, and the historical contexts of them all. And... I did!

I hadn't been overestimating how hard the tests would be: all that studying was actually necessary. I'd studied churches, sarcophagi, murals, mosaics, and bibles for medieval art (at this moment I could probably name and approximately date 300 of them), but on the test the professor asked us to identify a small jeweled brooch. A brooch that was mentioned for twenty seconds in class and in one short paragraph of the 1,000 pages of reading for that class... And that question was worth about 25% of the total grade. I knew the answer to it because I hadn't understood the technical word for "brooch" and had looked it up online and found the same example. Google saved my life! haha. Anyway, after all that loco studying, I feel confident that I passed all my tests.

The next time around (I unfortunately have two more series of tests), I'm going to work on memorization and studying as I go along so that I won't stress myself out so much. It was terrible, but I'm really glad that's done!

My friends and family have done a lot to help me through these weeks, by believing in me, being there to listen, and by trying to help me relax, and I can't thank you guys enough! Les quiero, I love you! =)

I did take a few breaks throughout the week in attempts to maintain my sanity. I went to the Book Fair with my friend Jenn from California and again on my own the next day. I went to a party with Jorge and drank lots of mate tea and coffee with Leo.

The book fair was amazing. There were thousands of books — three huge, classic Greco-Roman style buildings were filled to the brim with them — and hundreds of stands representing Argentine provinces and countries from around the world. I saw a gauchesco dance (a traditional, cowboy-style dance), an Arabian dance, a photo exposition of porteño (Buenos Aires-style) body-painting, with tango, filetto, and urban themes, and got a book-light and pen as free gifts. I told Jenn that it felt like Christmas: all those books and nice cultural, artistic things everywhere, and someone randomly handed me a book-light, which  I'd been wanting for about a week! haha. And a new pen, which I also needed. How great!

I bought four great books for 10 pesos: the best oferta (sale) I've seen in all my time here! I got gauchesca (cowboy) poems, four stories by Cervantes, a novel by José Martí, stories recounted by desaparecidos and their friends and families (the desaparecidos were those kidnapped and tortured during the dictatorship).

After my tests yesterday I opened a book of Sylvia Plath's diaries, one of my favorites that I'd brought from the US, and found the receipt for it marking a page inside. The receipt is handwritten on a printed grid and lists all the other books I bought at the same time (at a little used book store in Glen Ellyn, Illinois with David): Cyrano de Bergerac, Gather Together, Walden and Disobedience, poetry by Quevedo, and Sylvia's diaries. It looked like a prescription (and a good one!), haha. There's no doubt about how much I love reading and writing, and when I'm done with school and find a job, I'm going to dedicate myself to that. =) I've been writing a lot while here, but need to type it all up and edit it. My main project right now is memoirs. I will keep you posted on their development!

Besos!
Kaeli

Estrés! Parciales Week

Hola gente linda,

Here are the pictures that wouldn't upload the last time I tried. Hope you enjoy! 

 This was the view from my old apartment with June in Microcentro. It was great! You can see the Obelisco (the tall white monument) in the distance. A few buildings to the right of it, you can also make out a giant cartoon dog-head on top of a building... that is an advertisement for Pepsi that really annoys me (because I used to have to look at it every day), haha.

 The view in early morning, when the sun was just starting to come up.

 Fede and I have been eating lunch together most Mondays, when we both get out of class at the same time. I really like this picture!

 These are the empanadas I made! They are filled with corn, cheese, and tomato sauce. (A visitor at Leo's house taught me how.)

 This... was my dinner. haha. Coffee, chocolate, dulce de leche, and melon helado (ice cream). Mmm... Argentina's ice cream is really some of the best in the world! It has the texture and kick of Italian gelato and the creamy flavors of the Americas. =)

 A typical university scene (both here and in the US). The signs have inspirational, "we're-going-to-change-the-world" messages. The little plastic things hanging on the wall are a tiny art exhibit: you can look into them like microscopes and see a little photo! This was at Leo's university, UADE.

 A different view of the Obelisco. This is a business district right by la Casa Rosada, the government house. I really love this architecture, and seeing all the businesspeople rushing around in their suits.

 I like the necklace someone put on this statue. It really suits her! haha.

 A great statue in Retiro.

This is El Federal, my favorite cafe in San Telmo.

And, this is where I left off last week:

These last few weeks have been really busy! I moved to San Telmo and like my new house. I live with girls around my age from France, Norway, Chile, and China. The Argentine woman who runs the house, Fernanda, is really nice. She calls everyone 'corazón' ('heart'/'dear') and gives us insider information about Buenos Aires (thanks to her I will now have to check out the Farmers' Markets that go on sometimes!).

It is midterms time, my graduation is coming up, and I've had falling-outs with a few of my friends — all that has really been stressing me out, but my friends have been helping me through: drinking lots of mate tea, getting out, and throwing around ideas for plans. ¡Gracias, amigos! ¡Les quiero! (Thanks, friends: I love you guys!)

I've submitted an essay so far, and have tests this week on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. I have been studying literally all day for the last three days, and am still worried that I might not be able to pass. It is tough for me, not only because it's in Spanish, but also because I am not used to the test formats here: it's hard for me to guess exactly what I should be studying. I've read about 700 pages, and can't memorize all of it, so I have to guess at what will be asked. The advice the professors gave me (and everyone) was, unfortunately, "study it all!" So I am...

I do feel I'm progressing, though, and have been trying to ease my stress with a few fun things. I saw Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho" at midnight at MALBA. It was great! My favorite part was the very end. I cooked with Jorge (he made chicken and I made a cauliflower, potatoes, and cheddar mix: a la American), and we watched "Groundhog's Day," a movie that I ironically never get tired of watching, haha. I went to the Sunday feria in San Telmo and talked with some labor activists the day after Dia del Trabajador, Labor Day. And tonight I will eat pizza and go to a party!

This is an essay I wrote for my Experiential Learning graduation requirement at Knox. It's about my experience studying abroad in Argentina and how its contributed to my academic advancement. Anyone interested can read it here!

Seven months ago, I traveled to Argentina to study abroad through the Knox Buenos Aires Program. I arrived knowing nothing about the country aside from a few historical anecdotes about its Jesuit and Catholic traditions and the 1800's aristocracy — information I'd picked up from the first quarter of a mandatory history book. I came with vague plans to improve my Spanish, learn about Argentine culture, and soak up as much art as I could. My expectations were greatly surpassed.

I'd assured my friends and family that adjusting to Argentina would be easy. I had experience traveling; I had lived in South Korea for five months. I felt sure that Buenos Aires would be even easier for me to adjust to than Korea had been, since while I'd known only basic Korean and had communicated mostly in English and with improvised hand gestures in Korea, I was already fluent in Spanish. I soon realized, however, that all the students, advisers, and relatives warning me about challenges I'd face in studying abroad had been right about the initial adjustments required.

During my first month here, I ran into problems that surprised me. I realized that my ability to understand about three quarters of conversations in Spanish — an ability I'd formerly considered impressive — was actually a problem when it came to making friends and understanding professors' lectures. I felt deceived by my surroundings: whereas many things in Korea had seemed foreign to me from the start — the tables at restaurants were close to the ground, for example, and everyone ate with chopsticks and shared the same bowls of food— the things I encountered in Buenos Aires seemed deceptively familiar. I boarded public buses, went to class, and sat down to dinner with my host family assuming that I knew exactly what to expect, but found myself confused and frustrated when things turned out, after all, to be culturally distinct. I felt lonely and overwhelmed: feelings which ultimately passed, as everyone had assured me they would.

The support I got from study abroad coordinators, family, and new friends, as well as my own determination to make the most of my time here made my frustrating first weeks in Buenos Aires bearable, and everything improved with time. I ended up doing everything I'd come to do and more.

My Spanish has improved a lot. During my first two months here, the phrase I used most frequently during conversations was “What…?” Now I can carry on hour-long conversations with hardly any doubts about vocabulary. Thanks to the Knox Program, my classes at the University of Palermo, and my conversations with friends from Argentina and other Latin American countries, I’ve also gained a basic understanding of Buenos Aires and Latino culture, Argentine politics, and the dictatorship whose devastating effects will never fully disappear.

Another goal I had for my trip to Buenos Aires was to see a lot of art; and I really did! The Argentine government sponsors many artistic events, and artists from all over the world bring their talents here. I've seen amazing sculptures, paintings, architecture, films, plays, literature, concerts, and photos, and talked with art scholars, curators, dancers, and artisans.  I studied Latin American and Medieval Art at the University of Palermo: my first formal education in art history. My extensive exposure to great art here has taught me a lot about communication (as great art evokes strong emotional and critical response), and with its strangeness has opened my mind to possibilities.

My specializations in both Spanish and Anthropology & Sociology (AnSo) have been advanced by my travels here. My Spanish abilities have been improved and reinforced by my constant opportunities to practice and build upon what I’ve learned, and my AnSo studies have eased my transition into a new culture and have shaped my critical perspective about everything I’ve seen. For example, my AnSo classes taught me that race is a social construction, and I saw evidence of that in my travels here. Three people who would all be considered “Latino” in the United States might be considered “White,” “Black,” and “Indian/Indigenous” in Argentina, and whereas the United States census offers numerous racial categories, the Argentine census asks only if respondents are “Argentine,” “Indigenous,” or “Afro-descendant.” My studies have taught me to notice the social character of culturally normalized divisions like race and gender, to think critically about their consequences, and how to work towards reducing structural inequalities.

Studying in Buenos Aires has been an invaluable experience for me. I’ve learned and grown more than I ever expected to. The knowledge I’ve gained here has enhanced my formal studies and fueled my interests in anthropology, social justice, and the arts: the fields I will pursue as a writer, teacher, and activist. The months I’ve spent here have been some of the most significant in my college career, and I thank everyone who made this trip possible for me!