Mi vida ahora

Where do I begin? I have been in this country for less than week and feel that my time has been so condensed. Chronology should be the easiest format to follow.

I departed Minneapolis on an early Tuesday morning amid a teary goodbye with my parents. I must have been in an emotional tizzy because I almost forgot to tip the Skycap (?) man who none-so-subtly asked for his tip. The flight to Miami landed at 12pm and I was to meet my fellow SIT group members at the check-in counter at 6pm. Although it was a long day I bided my time with phone calls and Spider Solitaire. I checked my luggage at 5pm and realized that I was surrounded by my future program mates. We quickly discovered that there were two SIT Argentina programs leaving on the same flight. I ate a quick dinner with some other girls and introduced myself countless times. Everyone was excited to be leaving so soon and it was great to meet some new people. Our flight through the LAN airline for Buenos Aires left at 9pm and was due to land at 9am on Wednesday. I never realized how posh international airlines are. Each seat had an individual TV stocked with movies, TV shows, games, you name it. I slept on and off for the next few hours and tried to watch Casablanca which ironically put me (the self-proclaimed film aficionado) to sleep. There was some light turbulence around Tennessee which slowed down the flight and we landed an hour later at 10am. Most everyone was groggy in the customs line. No one knew what to expect next; we knew that the groups would split in two and we would be hauled off to an orientation for a few days. During my check-in the customs man mentioned that he worked in St. Paul at 3M! It’s a small world.

We started to retrieve our luggage and I waited…and waited…until there was no more luggage from our flight and my sole bag was MIA. Panicked, I was directed the LAN baggage counter. I think the attendant could tell that I was frightened by my mix of English and broken Spanish. Since I didn’t have a phone number or address to give her, she told me that my luggage would arrive that afternoon and I should call the following number. I left the baggage claim feeling defeated even though I knew that my luggage would come soon. As soon as I left customs I heard someone call my name. It was Annie! For those who don’t know, my close friend and former roommate Annie applied to the same program as me. She studied in Brazil last semester and I was beyond excited to see her. Needless to say we had a joyous embrace. Ana Rita and Pablo, two of our program directors, were present and told me not to worry about my luggage; they would take care of everything. The groups split as expected and the Southern Cone kids (20 in total) headed to a bus outside.

The first thing I noticed about Buenos Aires was the sweltering humidity. It was sunny and it was hot. I was exhausted after walking a few meters carrying my laptop bag and purse. We piled onto a bus and left for an unknown destination. Annie had been in Buenos Aires for a few days and observed that were heading in the opposite direction of the city. While we chatted Ana Rita introduced herself and told us a bit about the program. I would be lying if I said that I understand what she really said. The Argentine accent is very difficult to understand. There is a definite Italian influence that makes sounds blend together and requires some repetition for a full understanding.

The bus stopped at our destination for orientation. It was Las Clavelinas, a sort-of retreat center for members of the gastronomic union of BA. There were soccer fields, a pool and gym, restaurant, and hotel rooms. I roomed with Annie and Merritt, who has been abroad multiple times and seemed very relaxed. The room had one bedroom with two beds, a small bathroom, an entry with another bed, and no air conditioning. Welcome to Buenos Aires! We next attended our first round of orientation seminars. Our program directors are Alan and Ana Rita, who are professors in Buenos Aires. They both speak fantastic English and said that they wanted us to “take it easy” so the first day would conducted in both English and Spanish. I was very grateful. After some icebreakers (the name game, etc) and seminars about the program we ate a group dinner in the restaurant. It was wonderful to finally meet everyone. We have a diverse group: students from every part of the US. There are 6 guys and 14 girls. I went to bed early that night and pondered how I would speak and understand Spanish when I hadn’t spoken it in months.

The next day was similar to Wednesday. We had seminars about security and safety and interviews with the program director. My luggage arrived safely during my interview which was a BIG relief. One of the classes in my program is Intensive Spanish so we had short interviews with the Spanish professors to determine our comprehension levels. Of course I was nervous during mine and I think I talked about my sorority and involvement in choir. During the afternoon I left the grounds and walked to a local pharmacy a few blocks down. I had my first taste of Argentina without interacting with Americans. There were many auto shops and small cars and graffiti. The streets smelled of exhaust and I saw lots of stray dogs. In the evening some students from the University of Buenos Aires (UBA) visited us so we could practice our Spanish. They were funny and warm and one even called my Spanish “bastante bien” (pretty good)! I got to talk about American politics and Hispanic films without sounding like a complete moron. They joined us for dinner which was a riot. Argentines are so welcoming. After dinner the SIT crew partook in some Argentine cervezas and hung out for awhile. It’s a good group: they’re interesting and intelligent and hilarious.

Friday was Judgment Day. We would get information about our host families and move in with them in the evening! Adriana, the home stay coordinator, conducted a seminar about home stay expectations then presented info about our families. I would be living with Rafael and Monica, an older couple. My home was not far from IDES, the graduate institute where our classes are held. We soon left by bus for Buenos Aires. The freeways were similar to the States except everyone drives crazily and many people did double-takes at seeing a bus full of Americans on the road. We arrived in Buenos Aires and I was stunned by the city. There were statues and enormous parks with palm trees and endless apartment buildings. Our host families would be coming later in the evening so Annie, Merritt, and I walked around the city for awhile. Merritt commented that I looked Argentine but I think it was because of my skinny jeans. We returned at 6:30pm and our host families were waiting for us…..

Rafael is a fascinating fellow. I introduced myself and nervously began speaking poor Spanish because I wanted to impress him. “Take it easy,” he kept telling me while eating the sandwiches provided by the IDES staff. He is tall and lean and wears rimless glasses. Rafael is a saxophonist who studied at the Berklee School of Music in Boston and was a composer of commercial jingles and scores for movies and TV. His wife, Monica, arrived shortly thereafter. She is a psychiatrist in BA and a bossanova singer. We left IDES as I tried to think and speak only in Spanish though my mind was frantic. I was frazzled and nervous during our cab ride to their apartment. My new home is in the Barrio Norte neighborhood in Buenos Aires. It is an upper-middle class area with lots of shops and restaurants and people. I live on Calle Ayacucho on the seventh floor of an apartment building. They showed me the apartment: it is cozy and very long. Picture it: starting from one end there is a bathroom, my bedroom, the kitchen, living room and dining room, their bedroom, another bathroom, and the door to a balcony. Rafael showed me the balcony which has amazing views. The building is surrounded by dozens of other buildings that seem to go on forever. “Remember the flag if you are lost,” he said, pointing to the Department of Water building with a giant Argentina flag on the top post. I unpacked and then took a nap before dinner because I was exhausted. My room is small like my first room at Beloit. From the left there is a nightstand, a bed, small TV, a window with a view like the balcony, and five shelves mounted on the wall. It’s perfect.

I feel like I could write forever about my home. The living room has dozens of books and jazz and bossanova CDs. Rafael played me the US national anthem on his saxophone and he is a fantastic player. I told him that I didn’t know jazz very well to which he responded, “You don’t need to know…you need to feel. Like when you look at a painting.” Their apartment has several works of abstract art, too. They’ve hosted several exchange students before and had a few tips for me. For example, don’t put stickers on the wall because that requires new paint. Use the corkboard that they installed if you want to display pictures or maps. Side note: I printed some pictures of my family and friends to bring to Argentina. Mom: Just so you know, I took the duplicate picture of you and John in the Santa hats. Dad and Debbie: I printed the “family photo op” from Christmas Eve.

Though I was happy to be at my new home, I felt completely overwhelmed with everything. I couldn’t understand most of what Rafael and Monica said to me and just kept nodding and saying “yes.” I felt better at dinner when we talked about American politics (a popular topic in Argentina) and our families. Their relatives are from Italy and Monica made some gnocchi for my first meal. Earlier in the day I gave them a present: a bag of wild rice from Minnesota. They seemed intrigued but didn’t know how to prepare it. Neither did I, really….I know, I know, it’s shameful! I suggested that they cook it in a dish or something…but seriously, somebody give me some suggestions. I can only feign ignorance for so long.

Saturday felt better. In the morning Rafael and I engaged in a passionate debate about the perception of the US in South America. He fiercely disagrees with the Bush administration and historical US foreign policy in general. I agreed with him on some points but we argued about others. These kinds of interactions create a very different perspective of the US for me because I’ve never had to defend my country so much. I expected to encounter anti-US sentiments but it’s hard to construct arguments when there is a language barrier. Rafael said he didn’t mean to attack me but he feels strongly about his opinions and I respect that. During the afternoon they left and I went exploring in BA. My first stop was an Internet café because there is no Internet access at my house. IDES has wireless and there are tons of cafes in the city so I will have no problem with accessing the Internet. I bought a phone card for my new cell which I borrowed from my friend Ruthie, who was in BA last spring. Luckily I came home before a giant rainstorm then went back out afterwards. Rafael and Monica have the address list of my program mates so I recorded everyone’s addresses. Annie lives a few blocks from me and I decided to see where she lived. Lo and behold I ran into Annie while we were crossing the same street! It was magical. We had some coffee and then she invited me to her house. I met her family: a mother and grandmother. They are crazy: the mother talks about the unavailability of men in BA and the grandma wears heels all day. Annie’s host mother showed us a picture of a girl she previously hosted….who is a senior at Beloit. What a coincidence! We were both astounded. Annie and I decided to meet up with our program mates at a café near IDES to celebrate a birthday of one girl.

Well….it took us awhile to figure out how to get there. The bus system in BA is out of control. There are hundreds of buses and a very, VERY confusing map for each bus. You could live your whole life here and never figure it out. We found the right bus after some searching and finally (!) found IDES. There was no group in sight, however, so we called our friend Erin. She also attends Beloit and is studying with a different program this semester. We ate dinner at a loud, packed restaurant. I had my first Argentine empanada which was meat and onions in a flaky crust. I think. Then we shared a pizza and went to Erin’s apartment. The night life in BA is insane, much like everything here. Dinner is between 10pm and 12am on weekends and clubs are open until 7 or 8am. Erin took us to an Irish pub where we met friends from her program. One girl knew some former Beloiters…the connections never end. Annie and I stayed until 3:30am and then were too tired to function. My body needs to adjust to the Argentine schedule. Days are much longer here. Dinner on weeknights is between 9 and 10pm. Meal portions are much smaller. It seems fast-paced and relaxed at the same time.

This is my third day in Buenos Aires and I’m still overwhelmed. The city is amazing. It is so full of life and people and dogs dressed up in raincoats and endless buildings and traffic and exhaust and kiosks. My head was spinning from walking around today but I know that I need to live day to day. I can feel my Spanish improving from Friday, when I thought I couldn’t make it here. I miss all of you but I feel like I need this semester to distance myself from the familiar. There are many adventures ahead: trips to rural Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay/Paraguay, learning to ride the Subte (subway), starting my classes, and much more. Thanks for bearing with this long entry and I’ll write more when I can. Take care and I’m sending my love from many time zones away.