the secret garden meets alice in wonderland

I happened upon a public rose garden today while I was wandering through Palermo...

this bee was completely black!

it looks like alice in wonderland!

pensamientos...

I really don't think I'm ever going to get used to the way guys look at you here. It really seems like they want to eat you. I think its eye assault, i really do. I miss the guys in the US who don't even make direct eye contact in the street. En cambio, here the men (usually upwards of 45) post.
What is posting you ask?
Its when men stand or sit in their doorways and just watch women walk through the streets, usually if not always, they have a friend sitting next to them, or better yet down the block so they can give them a heads up to what is coming.

I'm not sure why the men in Argentina are like this. It must be some sort of a vicious cycle between standoffish argentine girls who require a lot of wooing and attention from the men and the animalistic aggressive hombres here.

Who knows maybe i'll miss it when i go back to the U.S. where the word awkward exists, and usually the defining word of my life.

Word of the week:
my new favorite work is baludo, it can mean anything from bastard to idiot to slowpoke. Use it endearingly...

la provincia de Córdoba: Oktoberfest, Ultifest and Balnearios

Here are a few pictures from this past weekend! I spent Wednesday through Monday in the province of Córdoba in Mina Clavero, Villa Belgrano and the capital.

Oktoberfest!

My hat team from the ultifest tourney! Champs!

A stormy night in Córdoba

La universidad de Córdoba, an actual campus.

These are the balnearios or swimming holes of Mina Clavero

This balneario was called 'los elefantes' because of the gray elephant shaped rocks.

second spring! some updates

Botanical Garden and a few Cadillac Photos

yep, i'm pretty sure this naked woman has a lamb wrapped around her shoulders.

One of the prettiest green spaces in Buenos Aires!

The Lasdon of Buenos Aires. Today I went to the free botanical garden in Palermo. Its only a 10 block walk and its a nice wooded sanctuary away from the noisy city.

This is one of the fields we have practice/games at in Bosque Palermo.
This is the only picture I have of me from the game. #71!

First of all, I have no idea how it got to be October. I am officially halfway done with my semester of school in Buenos Aires. I am on Spring Break right now. For the past few days I've been relaxing, playing some frisbee and hanging out in parks. The Botanical Garden in Palermo is a really beautiful and relaxing place filled with little paths, statues, gardens and tons and tons of stray cats. Spring really is coming here full force, I've already developed a sun burn (which makes me look even more like a gringo). I can't believe it is fall in the U.S. and I'm missing the leaves change. Oh well, Second Spring is pretty great too!

Spring Break plans:

I'm headed to Cordoba tomorrow night for a frisbee tournament and Oktoberfest in the town of Belgrano. Belgrano is a really weird german, possibly nazi, town in the sierra mountains of Cordoba.

Tips of the Week:

1. I am pretty sure every 3rd tree in any given park in Buenos Aires has been peed on...today.

seriously, i was in the park today for maybe 20 minutes and saw three men pee on three different trees.

2. It is not always okay to sit on grass, in fact sometimes its quite frowned upon.

A few weeks ago I was sitting on the lawn of a plaza filled with benches when out of nowhere comes a woman decked out in a fanny pack and whistle to escort me of the grass. so many things in this country make no sense

la naturaleza en Buenos Aires

a few photos!

a true feat of strength and determination!

The most delicious dulce de leche cake, happy 7 months!

We made completos to celebrate chilean independence day!

this is the giant metallic flower (floralis generica) that opens at sunrise and closes at sunset!

la primavera! (oficial)

a little update!

September 21st was the official first day of Spring in Argentina. We didn´t have classes to celebrate spring and also el dìa del estudiante. Everyone pretty much hangs out in parks all day and drinks quilmes (national beer of argentina) and the giant metallic flower is open all night! It is surprisingly pretty for a giant metal flower.

I also went to a downs syndrome party with Majo, my host sister, who has downs syndrome to celebrate Spring and talk with her friends. It was a really interesting and enlightening experience for me, especially in spanish! The kids were so nice and talkative and one girl even knew all of Obama´s foriegn policies with Latin America!

A little about the food in Buenos Aires;

the picture above is a traditional argentine parrilla. It is a delicious meat bbq or asado of chicken, steak, choripan and more. This is to answer Allie´s question about the food here. It is delicious and usually a mix of italian pastas, meat, empanada, fish and potatoes. At least that is what my host mom makes me. We did have completos friday night to celebrate the day of chilean independence. A completo is a savory hotdog with guacamole, onions, and tomatoes. Every day for breakfast i eat factoras which essentially are crescents covered in sugar, dulce de leche or chocolate. I think i may gain pounds and cavaties while i´m here, but its well worth it!

Iguazú falls

some nature from Iguazú rhino bugs mating


i'm pretty sure this bird was making direct eye contact

a panorama of the misty falls from the paseo inferior view.

These pictures are from devil's throat, the most spectacular view of the falls.

A new month...

Since we are already a week into September, I think this blog needs a fresh new post. I am getting into the routine of school and lots and lots of work in spanish, which is dull, but also nice to have a schedule. It is freezing at the moment, windy and rainy; i am really hoping that September is an 'in like a lion, out like a lamb,' kind of month.

I am however, going to Iguazu this weekend, and hopefully a Polo match on Sunday! I'm really excited about that, and I think we are staying at a Brazilian hostel on the Argentine border. It will be really nice to get out of the city and see some real nature! I'll put the pictures up on facebook next week.

In other news....I am trying to branch out and meet some interesting porteños or just anyone and I am joining a frisbee team. I think there are a lot of Americans, but it should be fun regardless. Nothing too awkward or embarrassing has happened to me in a few days, BUT i did run into a female argentine topher on the colectivo this afternoon. Who would have thought he'd have a doppleganger in Argentina?

barrones...

ooh there is a huge problem with the argentine male sex.

i am sitting in my room listening to the rain, it feels like i'm in carlisle!! I'm a little nervous to go to class, being in a new place in the rain is a little scary, especially because i have to do lots of walking and don't have an umbrella.

While I have a few minutes I want to reflect on this past weekend's events...

this has been a very interesting week for me. I was approached by a fortune telling man who said he was a cosmic psychologist who predicted i would have twin girls when I am 27 and said some very real things about my family and past.

Friday night against my better judgement i went to a "gay" club called Amerika where i was told the men would be less aggressive when dancing. This was definitely not true as you could not walk through the crowd without someone's tongue in your mouth. It was also all you can drink for 30 pesos, disaster.

When I got home at 5 am, there was a man outside my door who i thought was using the intercom. He followed me into my building and tried to take my keys and was pushing me and pulling my hair. I have no idea how I got away, but I did and locked myself in the apartment. The scary thing is that he was locked in the lobby all night because you need a key to exit the apartment. I'm still not really ready to come home late at night.

And yesterday, the most disturbing argentine man story.

Maggie, Erin, Ellen, Sophia and I are sitting in the park drinking mate enjoying the beautiful 80 degree day. Suddenly we realize that a gross man sitting under a tree a few feet away, is not actually reading the newspaper but masturbating and staring at us. I don't know why Sophia and I looked, it was like a car accident. But we saw it. It was just out. What is wrong with men in this country?

Tip of the week:

always double, or triple check your surroundings! and trust no one!

gripa a

Today has definitely been my worst day yet. A mime tried to follow me home from the bus stop, i still cannot be sure if he wanted a kiss or a peso.

I'm going to the hospital today to make sure i don't have swine flu, but i am really sick. Hopefully I won't need to wear a mask in public...

barrio recoleta

a few picture of recoleta!

this is gran gomero, a giant rubber tree outside the cemetery

two lions
the "brutalist" library, completely made of cement

Why do I think the library is on my way home? It's not, it's definitely not, actually its exactly the opposite way. Pretty much every day that I take the bus home, i walk the wrong way. I have done it so many times, that I know think I live on the same street as the library. I thought my sense of direction would improve, especially when I haven't strayed too far from my apartment... apparently not.

The library is very ugly, very ugly. At no angle could I take an attractive picture of it... Hopefully I can get some pictures up at some point. It used to be the site of Juan and Eva Peron's presidential power, but was destroyed to build the monstrosity that they call a library. Even though it is Latin America's largest library, it was build during a very unfortunate period of architectural history they call the 80's.

Today I went to the Recoleta fair and took a few pictures in the cemetery. I think I can get them up on facebook, my internet is very very slow.

Tips of the day:

Always look down when walking, there will be dog poop, and you will most likely step in it.

Mcflurrys in Buenos Aires are actually delicious and I highly recommend them.

classes, classes, and empanadas

this was my first week of my classes...all i spanish. i already have quite a bit of reading and spanish assignments to complete and i haven't had all of my classes yet. i've had lots of awkward this happen to me this week as per usual.

last night, for example i was at my UCES class which is an argentine university in buenos aires. the professor was asking each of the american students their age, home university and major. i was all prepared to answer these questions when he called my name, he just said "abuelos?" (grandparents). all i did was repeat abuelos about 4 times until everyone turned around to say "he just wants to know where your grandparents are from because of your last name..."

also on saturday when i was meeting one of agostina's friends i missed her cheek and kissed her on the lips, also very awkward.

i am also running a little short on money and so i don't dip into my reserves, i only splurge on empanadas and bus rides...

thus far...

i´ve been in buenos aires for about a week now. getting accostumed to living in a city is not as easy as i thought it would be! you are pretty much expected to do everything on your own...not like being babied in the US.
recoleta...
my neighborhood is a really nice and safe place to live. there are cafes on pretty much every corner and parks within a two minute walk. last saturday i spent a relaxing afternoon in the recoleta cemetary and perusing the many street venders. i do miss the quiet of carlisle and yorktown, but it is an interesting fast paced change, especially the nights.

it is typical in buenos aires to eat dinner at 10, go out at 2 and arrive home with the sunrise. it is not the life for an anemic, but i am trying desperately to keep up. lots of coffee and mate helps. 5pm is also not a rule for drinking either, its more like one here.

anyways i´m having a relaxing weekend in pergamino. hopefully i´ll have internet again soon!

one day to go...

I decided to start a blog to not only to share pictures and stories, but also to keep a research blog for my thesis topic. For those of you who read this blog you will not only be hearing my stories but also following the research of Francis Livingston.

Francis Livingston was a Dickinson student who was born in Buenos Aires and attended Dickinson College up until the Civil War. After enlisting in the war, Francis obtained a law degree from Albany, NY and moved back to Buenos Aires. In Buenos Aires Francis joined the family business and soon found himself a close friend to Bartolome Mitre (future president of Argentina). When Mitre became president Livingston became to director of the Central-Northern Railroad which would change Argentina forever. Not only providing the prosperous growth of a far reaching railway, but also creating a centralized country. For more information on Dickinsonian, Francis Livingstonhttp://chronicles.dickinson.edu/encyclo/l/ed_livingstonFS.htm

The blog posts about Francis will be labeled 'Francis Livingston' in case you want to avoid these entries and stick to the more exciting pictures and stories of my trip.