The past few days I have been feeling the urge to write about the not-so-glorious parts of being in Buenos Aires. Last Thursday a group of 4 people posing as foreign college students who had just arrived in BA convinced our program coordinator to let them sit through a lecture. Afterward, one of the guys distracted the coordinators, while the others stole the projector. They also stole two purses. With the information in the projector, the thieves gained access to our personal information, including our names, addresses in BA, phone numbers, and exact schedules for the next month. This incident is the least of our worries: the coordinators are more worried about kidnappings. Some students, including me, have already received suspicious messages on Facebook or Skype from unknown people, and the same suspicious names keep popping up. If all goes well, I will not need to blog with any more updates, and this will become old news.
On a different note, of our group at least one student has come down with the swine flu, and his friend has been diagnosed with Lyme disease. I was hanging out with both guys in our group Friday night before they got sick. On top of that, we were sharing drinks! This week the State Department has issued a travel alert on Argentina, which has experienced a swine flu outbreak. You might find it interesting that more people have died from the H1N1 virus in Argentina than in any other South American country. One can't walk very far without stumbling across some poster about the H1N1 virus.
With some luck, no one else will fall victim to any more of the same people's crimes, and the swine flu will leave us alone.
29 July 2009
26 July 2009
Cell Phone Shock and Livestock
Why, why, WHY are minutes so expensive here? I'm using Movistar, and after 20 minutes of talking/texting, I used up my 30-peso ($8) phone card. My phone, which will last me 6 months, cost me only $21. I must admit, though, that it's the crappiest looking piece of working junk I've ever laid my hands on - at least I won't have to worry about someone stealing it off me. What really shocked me was that organizing a night out with the girls cost me $8. Now I know why in Argentina, people spend very little time talking on the phone.
If you ever have a chance to go to a livestock exposition in South America, do it! It's unlikely the first thing you'd think of when you plan a cultural outing in Buenos Aires. There are two noteworthy things I learned today after a mind stimulating observation of the turkeys and cows.
First, a turkey has a flap of skin above its beak called a snood. I will list all the fascinating facts I learned about a turkey snood:
- It is a fleshy appendage that can stretch to twice its ordinary le
ngth during courtship (up to 6 inches) - Females prefer long snoods
- Snood length may be in part determined by the testosterone level and is a good predictor of victory in a fight
- The snood becomes erect when a sudden rush of blood to the area causes it to swell up - I saw it happen!
After watching my first "snoodal" erection, I began to wonder if turkeys aren't so different from humans. And we thought we had evolved a little more than that...
Observing the cows compelled me do a little research. Guess what I found out? Argentine scientists are studying global warming by strapping packs to cows' backs to collect their farts and burps. Apparently, through their slow digestive systems, cows produce quite a bit of methane, a greenhouse gas. Methane is 23 times stronger than carbon dioxide in trapping heat in the atmosphere. Researchers estimate that 30% of Argentina's total greenhouse emissions could be generated by cows.
I love being a biology major in Argentina!
First Night Out
Friday night and it was time to see what Argentina nightlife was all about. After all, from what I'd heard, Argentines often party until 7 or 8 in the morning. The only time I'd partied that late was New Year's in Naples, Italy, at an indie rock concert. Considering that a large percentage of Argentines are descendants of Italians, this doesn't surprise me.
The place we went to was a classy bar-nightclub called Tazz. 40 pesos ($10.50) got me a taxi ride, entrance to Tazz, plenty of drink, and a great time. Tazz has 3 levels: bars on each floor, pool tables, a dance floor, and comfy couches. We took the couches right next to the dance floor, which was an excellent decision, since we were in the prime spot for dancing. And did I dance! I was literally in the spotlight for part of it. Woooo! The Argentines weren't much different. Guys resembled hungry wolves as they eyed the girls; girls seemed oblivious to their surroundings as the guys closed in. But this didn't happen until enough drink had been consumed. For the first several hours in the night, the guys were surprisingly shy. Maybe Argentine girls are ruthless in their rejections. I must investigate. More to come on this topic.
The place we went to was a classy bar-nightclub called Tazz. 40 pesos ($10.50) got me a taxi ride, entrance to Tazz, plenty of drink, and a great time. Tazz has 3 levels: bars on each floor, pool tables, a dance floor, and comfy couches. We took the couches right next to the dance floor, which was an excellent decision, since we were in the prime spot for dancing. And did I dance! I was literally in the spotlight for part of it. Woooo! The Argentines weren't much different. Guys resembled hungry wolves as they eyed the girls; girls seemed oblivious to their surroundings as the guys closed in. But this didn't happen until enough drink had been consumed. For the first several hours in the night, the guys were surprisingly shy. Maybe Argentine girls are ruthless in their rejections. I must investigate. More to come on this topic.
23 July 2009
My Proud Porteño Moment
Who would have thought that on my third day in Buenos Aires, I would be giving directions to a Porteña (resident of BA)? Ahh... the implications! Let me list them:
- I must have passed as Porteña, or else why would she have knowingly asked a foreigner for directions?
- I must have looked as if I knew where I was going – either that, or I was faking confidence, which if you know me well, isn’t too uncommon :P
In any case I sent her off on her way (in the right direction, of course).
21 July 2009
Toilet Flushing, Stalking, and Trespassing
Today's mini adventure was a little more manageable since I shared the embarrassment with 4 other Americans. Let me first fill you in about yesterday. Lesson #1 of my experience in Argentina was nothing grand - it was rather silly: I learned how to work the toilet. You see, flushing the toilet in my house is a complicated process for a foreign-toilet-flushing rookie like me. Anyway, after a frazzled e-mail to my dad, I finally worked it out and saved myself from impending embarrassment. I avoided this incident, but I have accepted that embarrassment will become a daily occurrence during my stay here.
The toilet incident aside, yesterday I experienced my first mini stalking episode, or call it what you may. Imagine walking through the streets of a foreign city, and you notice an old man staring and smiling at you. Ten minutes later, when you stop to look into a coffee shop, you notice he'd been walking 2 paces behind you the entire time. Augh! Sometimes I wish I could blend in, but the red hair definitely does not help! And no, Dad, I will not give in to your wishes and dye my hair brown.
Today's incident helped me better understand why knowing how to navigate a city is crucial. A small group of us were having trouble finding our way back to the headquarters after having lunch. Arriving at a tall gate leading to the entrance of a house, we reasoned that we had arrived at the back, which would explain why the gate and the door were shut. Since we were running late, instead of finding the front entrance, we flattened ourselves as best we could and squeezed through a crack. As we were running alongside the house, a man opened the door and demanded to know why we were on his property. Oops! We ran out of there, scrambling back through the crack as Argentine passerby frowned at us. Needless to say, we found the right place, but next time I plan to do it without trespassing.
The toilet incident aside, yesterday I experienced my first mini stalking episode, or call it what you may. Imagine walking through the streets of a foreign city, and you notice an old man staring and smiling at you. Ten minutes later, when you stop to look into a coffee shop, you notice he'd been walking 2 paces behind you the entire time. Augh! Sometimes I wish I could blend in, but the red hair definitely does not help! And no, Dad, I will not give in to your wishes and dye my hair brown.
Today's incident helped me better understand why knowing how to navigate a city is crucial. A small group of us were having trouble finding our way back to the headquarters after having lunch. Arriving at a tall gate leading to the entrance of a house, we reasoned that we had arrived at the back, which would explain why the gate and the door were shut. Since we were running late, instead of finding the front entrance, we flattened ourselves as best we could and squeezed through a crack. As we were running alongside the house, a man opened the door and demanded to know why we were on his property. Oops! We ran out of there, scrambling back through the crack as Argentine passerby frowned at us. Needless to say, we found the right place, but next time I plan to do it without trespassing.
The Move-In
I've been given a life of luxury: my own room, my own bathroom, and even Wi-Fi. The best part is that I've gained instantly 2 new parents and 5 brothers and sisters (Michael, don't get jealous - they have big shoes to fill). The youngest is 20 and the oldest is 28, each living at home and simultaneously working/studying. My family is welcoming and engaging; I already feel very comfortable here. The house is situated in Recoleta, a nice neighborhood in downtown Buenos Aires (BA), which is within walking distance of many places.
Ironically, today was El Dia de los Amigos (Friends' Day) and it's official: I presently have no friends in BA outside of my family. That makes me chuckle a little. I don't feel bad; I'm just stating the facts. This will change of course, as will a lot more.
Ironically, today was El Dia de los Amigos (Friends' Day) and it's official: I presently have no friends in BA outside of my family. That makes me chuckle a little. I don't feel bad; I'm just stating the facts. This will change of course, as will a lot more.
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