Today marks our second full week in Argentina and the last day of language classes for now. Though becoming accustomed to the rhythm of the country, some things still feel strange (mainly, eating heavy meals after 9pm ... people here don't really have dinner until ten or even midnight).

Though I decidedly dislike the constant city noise, I fell in love with the round the clock activity that happens in this city the other night when we caught a collectivo (bus) home at 12:30. There were men working on a building behind the bus stop, up on ladders and all, doing who knows what, as we walked 2 blocks from our friend's house and were dropped off 2 blocks from home after a wait of only 15 minutes. On the corner down the street from our flat was a cow rib cage with a dog in a coma laying next to it (just to clarify, this is in front of a butcher shop). There's something pretty awesome about so many people here in this one place, who are each in their own worlds.

After months of searching, we finally found some flora guidebooks for native Argentinian plants! Since, unfortunately it was a series of 6 books, which our budget (and our backpacks) could not afford, we will be specializing in flowering shrubs/trees and monocots while we're in Argentina. The dicots were split up into two different books, and I kind of had a hard time leaving out orchids, bromeliads, and lilies. Anyhow, enough geek speak on that for now.

Yesterday Rosa and Fernando hosted a full blown Argentinian asada, complete with friends, plenty of Stella, and plenty of meat. Fernando started up the parilla mid-day (a parilla is similar to a barbecue), but as la ley de Murphy (murphy's law) would have it, the heavy heat and humidity turned into rain just as we were settling into our seats on the terrace. Though unfortunate, everyone maintained good spirits and the food was still amazing. An asada is basically a ton of different cuts of meat all slow grilled, mostly beef, but some pork The most interesting is the morcilla (blood sausage).

Today we checked out La Boca, the first port of BA, and one of the more poverty-stricken sections of the city; it is noted for its colorful buildings that are composed of brick, concrete, and corrugated tin. It is also known for several Argentine artists who were born or lived in the area. It was eclectic and cute, and we sat for a while at an outdoor cafe observing tango and gaucho traditional dances.

Though I'm not a 'shopper', I've got to say, the shopping is great in BA. The thing is, we don't have a ton of extra cash, nor much space (or want more weight) in our packs for extra goods, and shipping isn't cheap, so we'll have to be selective with what we decide to send home. Its unfortunate, really. I guess on the other hand after clearing out so many things at our home, I also don't want to overload us. The only reason its not hard to abstain from purchasing is because I'm so unaccustomed to really buying much in the first place. But there are so many cute little craft markets with many gorgeous goods, shoes, mates, jewelry, crafts, leatherwork....

Anyhow, tomorrow we brace ourselves for a 20 hour bus journey. The Argentinean buses serve meals (we'll get breakfast and dinner, includes wine), entertainment (movies, I think), and sleeper seats, so hopefully its not too bad. In any case, wish us buenos suerte!

Deep in the heart ... of Buenos Aires

We have begun to fall into step with things here in Buenos Aires - they are no longer quite so new and awe-inspiring as one feels the moment they enter a new place, though the greatness of the architecture remains quite enchanting. After nearly two weeks in a city with so many people, I notice with more frequency the other side of the charm: the black smoke from the buses that fights its way into my lungs, the homeless woman on the sidewalk treating some grotesque wound on her ankle, the unceasing clamor of a crowded metropolis.

A few glimpses:

Some "typical" architecture.

A parillon: serves the best sandwiches you can imagine for 5 pesos (about $1.50) that you can add all sorts of superduper toppings to)

Entrance to the Recoleta cemetary: where Evita is buried.

One of the most unica sitias we have come across is the El Gato Viego - an art gallery in this crazy warehouse type atmosphere, surrounded by large sculptures made from reclaimed junk metal and fashioned into things like dinosaurs and airplanes. It's pretty out of this world. We arrived to the art opening (they have one each Thursday, along with dinner) rather late, and missed most of the band (their last song sounded awesome), and we may return.

Learning Spanish continues to have its ups and downs. After my class last Friday I felt as though I´ve learned so much this week, but today I felt all stupid again. There are so many levels of understanding: reading, writing, hearing, speaking for basic communication, speaking using correct grammar and tenses, speaking faster than a sloth... But overall it has been a positive experience and I think it is the best way to learn a language. Concepts are continually being reinforced, whether it be in our conversations with Rosa and Fernando, eavesdropping on passers by, reading advertisements on a bus, or interpreting guerilla graffiti.

Saturday we had the chance to view some art at one of the Museos here, and saw both classical pieces and Argentinean works. Its actually been quite a long time since I´ve seen classical art, and I found a newfound appreciation for it's storytelling ability. The Argentinian art was nice, too, my favorite piece was one that initially appeared abstract, but upon closer inspection I realized that it was an image of South America, upside down (according to our north-centric ideology of the world), dwarfing the North American continent. It hints at a few of the intricacies of the complex relationships between the two regions.

Jameson and I are beginning to replace our coffee habit with a mate addiction. Mate is

Today we booked our tickets on out of the city, and into Los Andes to the city of Bariloche. The area looks very beautiful... it is right on a very large lake. I am excited to escape into la sierra y commune with this new nature.

Immersed.

Now that we are here there is so much to write about that I almost do not know where to start. There would be no way to capture it all so I suppose I´ll just have to focus on a couple of phenomenons.

Buenos Aires is a city of approximately 13 million people. To facilitate the movement of people here they have a subte (subway) system that consists of several lines. But what is even more amazing is the bus system here. There are over 200 different city buses. And, I´m not sure exactly how it works, but many of them dock at different places and they have a different exterior paint job according to that - basically, each of them look pretty different! It gets better - they have all the route information for the busses and subtes, along with a map of the entire city, contained in a small little book, the Guia T, that fits in your pocket! The buses and subtes don´t need to have a schedule because they all come every five to ten minutes.

Learning a new language has been quite an amazing experience. It has been enhanced quite a bit by staying at the home we are living in, and I feel like the amount we have synthesized in this past week has been much more than if we were not immersed in the language and culture after class, as well. What is very interesting to me is how things are conveyed, and how some words are used similarly and others are used very differently. For example. there are two words for ¨to try¨in Spanish: probar and tratar. The first indicates trying new thingsClasses are very difficult! I feel like there are many steps to learning the language, and comprehending the native speakers talk at their pace is still one of the hardest. Our understanding of the verb tenses and construction is coming along, but there are simply so many to learn! The other frustrating thing when speaking is that I have to talk so slow to convey any one thought. There are many instances when we feel just plain stupid.

Rosa and Fernando have continued to be wonderful to live with. We´ve been having dinner together most nights, and have had the traditional empanadas (I got to help make them - pretty simple actually), as well as other typical porteño food: pasta, pizza, and meat. We had an asado a couple nights ago - four different cuts of meat all slowly barbecued over low coals... all the beef here is free-range and grass-fed simply by matter of tradition, and extremely delicious! We´ve had many culture sharing sorts of conversation. We´re pretty fascinated by the tumultous recent history that defines Argentinian culture, as well as the very complex and tangled relationship that America has with the rest of the world. Even though the United States has exploited many people in Latin American countries, there still seems to be a fascination of us. Jameson and I are coming to terms with how to accept this, as we reject much of what a stereotypical view of the United States stands for. Its appalling to think about the media that crosses our borders. Fox News, for instance, is broadcasted in Australia. Our Australian friend in Jameson´s language class was happy to hear that our views, and the views of all Americans, are not in line with those of Fox News.

There is much to learn about in this respect, and we plan to continue to focus on not only our interests in ecology and sustainability, but also try to come to a clearer understanding of how we fit in to this global picture of the world.

Bienvenidos a Argentina

Hola desde Buenos Aires...

We arrived Friday morning, after two almost sleepless nights - the first packing up the few items we are taking for the trip, and the second restless in uncomfortable aisle seats on the international plane. Despite our exhaustion, we were recharged during the taxi ride into the city, taking in the sights and sounds.

Our temporary casa is perfecto! We have a room with a double bed that has a door out to a little balconeria, complete with little chairs and potted plants. It lets in a good bit of light. The flat is fairly spacious, and there are several outdoor terraces with different seating areas. Our hosts, Rosa and Fernando, are amazing and have thus far offered exceptional hospitality, beyond what we could ask for. Por ejemplo, on our first night here, they took us to an underground art studio / bar where there was some experimental music playing, and several rooms showcasing different artists. It reminds me a bit of something that one would find in the 619 Western artists' building in Seattle. Fernando has been a part of the experimental music scene in Buenos Aires for over 15 years. He and some friends did a recording before we went out that evening... it was amazing to watch as ethereal sounds emerged from his guitar, and as another musician created rhythms from a French horn, and another used styrofoam, cardbord, and a violin bow as his instruments. ¡Esta musica es el nuevo tango!

Other than that, we have been walking around our barrio and in central Buenos Aires. We are in the Montserrat/San Telmo barrios, and there are many restaurants, bars, and tango clubs. The architecture is remniscent of Spain and Italy. We also wandered into the Reserva Ecologia and saw many birds and speculated about the plant families we were seeing. The beach sand and rocks seemed to consist of eroding building materials - sections of a brick wall softened by crashing waves.

Our Spanish is coming along but is certainly a challenge. Rosa y Fernando are patient with us... thus far they have been primarily speaking in English (I kind of think they enjoy the English practice) and coaxing us along. It has been good for orientation, as we've engaged in some long conversations about Argentinean history, culture, and the economic crash which would not have been possible if we were only using Spanish. Rosa said she will begin speaking only in Spanish beginning on Monday, which is when we will begin our classes. I find that I get kind of scared and flustered, especially when in a store or meeting someone new, and forget even the most basic things I know. One thing that is particularly difficult is that the 'll' sound is completely different here; instead of a 'ljey' sound (um, is that how you spell it?) Argentinians pronounce it as 'sh'. So, all these words we are familiar with now sound completely different than we are accustomed to. And they speak fast! But, we are learning and enjoying the challenge.

By the way, I just want to say sorry to all the wonderful people in New Mexico for skipping New Mexico in our postings... basically, we had a lovely time with Jameson's family and family friends, we went on long walks or hikes almost every day, and I completed my thesis, mailed it off, and completed two graphic design jobs that were hanging over my head (on the very last day there, no less!) Since all of those things required staring at a screen I never had much inclination to go online and write... In short, November in New Mexico is beautiful, the village of Corrales is relaxing and lovely, the city of Rio Rancho freaks me out, and the people we spent time with were all very loving and kind and we appreciate your hospitality.

Until next time...