Hola todos,
I am happy to say that I'm doing well again! Walking around the city has regained its place as one of my favorite things to do. =)
Last Thursday, March 24th, was a feriado (holiday): the anniversary of Argentina's military dictatorship. I felt too sick to go to the big demonstration at Plaza de Mayo in front of the Pink House, but I got a feel for the atmosphere on the subway, where a lot of people (thousands of people!) carried political flags. I read some excerpts of literature written about the dictatorship in a great book called Prohibido Olvidar. The stories were all very powerful. My favorite is "La larga risa de todos estos años" ("The Wide Smile of All These Years"), by Rodolfo Enrique Fogwill. It's about one couple's daily lives during the dictatorship, the apathy and stress that they suffer, and the abnormality and inhumanity the city takes on. I highly recommend it!
This week is my second week of classes. I have a ton to study (at least 600 pages per week), but am glad to be back in school, and glad that the end of my undergraduate career is in sight! I am really proud of my Spanish progress: I understand all of my professors perfectly and hardly ever need to use my dictionary while reading. When I first got here, I could only understand about half of everything my professors said, and had to look up five to ten words per paragraph! A friend told me that the most important thing to do when learning a language is to stop being embarrassed to try. I love that advice and think she is right. When I put my embarrassment aside and practiced talking with people, despite the mistakes I made and the words I didn't know, my Spanish improved so much!
My European Art class and the Philosophy class I switched it to were both terrible. The first professor bragged abut himself and talked about irrelevant interests of his and publicly questioned my Spanish ability, and the second mumbled and told boring, irrelevant stories. I'm really glad I was able to switch them and love all four of my classes now! My new schedule is:
Sociology
Medieval Art
Social Psychology
Suicidology
They are all pretty sociologically based: even Medieval Art, where we focus on the culture and persecution of medieval Christians and analyze the cultural biases of historic art critiques. Suicidology is interesting, and not as depressing as it sounds. The professor is funny and one of the pioneers of Suicidology as a discipline.
I am getting to know Microcentro (my new downtown neighborhood next to the Obelisco). Yesterday I went to the Jorge Luis Borges Cultural Center with a friend and looked at all the paintings and photography there. It was really great! My favorite parts were a series of photos featuring everyday scenes from Havana, Cuba and a series of black-and-white photos of people in odd situations, poses, and clothes grouped next to captions like "The beginning of the world" and "What goes up must come down." The cultural center is within walking distance of my new place, and I will definitely go back again! It is my new MALBA! haha.
I am happy to say that I'm doing well again! Walking around the city has regained its place as one of my favorite things to do. =)
Last Thursday, March 24th, was a feriado (holiday): the anniversary of Argentina's military dictatorship. I felt too sick to go to the big demonstration at Plaza de Mayo in front of the Pink House, but I got a feel for the atmosphere on the subway, where a lot of people (thousands of people!) carried political flags. I read some excerpts of literature written about the dictatorship in a great book called Prohibido Olvidar. The stories were all very powerful. My favorite is "La larga risa de todos estos años" ("The Wide Smile of All These Years"), by Rodolfo Enrique Fogwill. It's about one couple's daily lives during the dictatorship, the apathy and stress that they suffer, and the abnormality and inhumanity the city takes on. I highly recommend it!
This week is my second week of classes. I have a ton to study (at least 600 pages per week), but am glad to be back in school, and glad that the end of my undergraduate career is in sight! I am really proud of my Spanish progress: I understand all of my professors perfectly and hardly ever need to use my dictionary while reading. When I first got here, I could only understand about half of everything my professors said, and had to look up five to ten words per paragraph! A friend told me that the most important thing to do when learning a language is to stop being embarrassed to try. I love that advice and think she is right. When I put my embarrassment aside and practiced talking with people, despite the mistakes I made and the words I didn't know, my Spanish improved so much!
My European Art class and the Philosophy class I switched it to were both terrible. The first professor bragged abut himself and talked about irrelevant interests of his and publicly questioned my Spanish ability, and the second mumbled and told boring, irrelevant stories. I'm really glad I was able to switch them and love all four of my classes now! My new schedule is:
Sociology
Medieval Art
Social Psychology
Suicidology
They are all pretty sociologically based: even Medieval Art, where we focus on the culture and persecution of medieval Christians and analyze the cultural biases of historic art critiques. Suicidology is interesting, and not as depressing as it sounds. The professor is funny and one of the pioneers of Suicidology as a discipline.
I am getting to know Microcentro (my new downtown neighborhood next to the Obelisco). Yesterday I went to the Jorge Luis Borges Cultural Center with a friend and looked at all the paintings and photography there. It was really great! My favorite parts were a series of photos featuring everyday scenes from Havana, Cuba and a series of black-and-white photos of people in odd situations, poses, and clothes grouped next to captions like "The beginning of the world" and "What goes up must come down." The cultural center is within walking distance of my new place, and I will definitely go back again! It is my new MALBA! haha.
Mi departamento es buena onda: things are going nicely here in my apartment. A Chilean girl named Vicenta moved in this week. She studies fashion design and is really nice. We have a good time chatting, sharing food, and doing things around the city, and coexist nicely in our small-but-cozy little place.
On Saturday I visited a Colombian friend, Juan David, at the hostel where he lives. His Brazilian housemates made a delicious meat and mashed potato pie and caipirinhas, a Brazilian drink with vodka, lemon, and sugar. I met a bunch of Brazilians and Colombians there. I love meeting international people! In the seven months I've been in Buenos Aires, I've met people from Peru, Chile, Brazil, Colombia, Uruguay, Ecuador, Costa Rica, China, Italy, Romania, Spain, Holland, Australia, Canada, Belgium, and other parts of the US. I am learning geography through the people I meet! Every time I meet someone from a different country, I find out where it is on a map, haha.
On Saturday I visited a Colombian friend, Juan David, at the hostel where he lives. His Brazilian housemates made a delicious meat and mashed potato pie and caipirinhas, a Brazilian drink with vodka, lemon, and sugar. I met a bunch of Brazilians and Colombians there. I love meeting international people! In the seven months I've been in Buenos Aires, I've met people from Peru, Chile, Brazil, Colombia, Uruguay, Ecuador, Costa Rica, China, Italy, Romania, Spain, Holland, Australia, Canada, Belgium, and other parts of the US. I am learning geography through the people I meet! Every time I meet someone from a different country, I find out where it is on a map, haha.
This is the view from my balcony! The Obelisco is the white monument in the back.
Finally, for great political commentary, check out Fede's new blog: http://www.lemonpolitik.com/
Besos!
Kaeli
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