I have been trying to upload pictures on here so that everyone can see what I have been seeing, but my "borrowed" internet connection doesn't seem to have the necessary bandwidth to do so. If I don't manage to get any up during the trip, I will definitely post some once I return home.
This past week, we got a taste of what to expect in our two classes and there was little sour mixed in with the sweet. By this, I mean that the majority of our class wasn't prepared for the workload in our Advanced Conversation and Grammar class. But, we talked to our professor (she works in UCA) after our first day and expressed some of our concerns and she explained the situation. After which point, we all had a clearer sense of the curriculum. Sometimes, the language barrier between native speakers and non-native speakers rears its ugly head and confuses the hell out of everyone and this was one of those times.
The sweet of the experience came in our Reading the Contemporary Argentine Nation class with Professor De Oro, who is not only a professor at Southwestern, but he is also my advisor. The workload for his course seems appropriate for a summer class, especially one in a foreign country, because it is enough that we gain something tangible to relate to the country in which we are currently residing, but not so much that we can't actually experience the country and interact with its inhabitants. This probably sums up the difference between the two classes. Where one emphasizes learning the proper skills, the other emphasizes using those skills to relate it to Argentine culture. Where one necessitates lots of outside work to be effective, the other is effective because it emphasizes more of the experience we are gaining. Combined, the two classes sort of balance each other out. You always need a little sour to complement sweet flavors!
Also, this week saw us really venturing out into the city for the first time. On Friday (May 22) we went on a tour of the city by bus during the time our grammar class would normally occur. It was a little rapid for my taste, but had it been fit to my taste, we would have been on that bus for several more hours than we were. But I don't really like to experience a city in that manner anyway. I like going out and making my own path.
This past Monday (May 25) is a national holiday celebrating Argentina's independence from Spain i.e. the founding of the country. It just so happened that this year was also Argentina's bicentennial celebration (May 25, 1810 - May 25, 2009). So, we were in the city on the country's 200th birthday. Although, the intensity I have witnessed in the Argentine party crowd didn't really manifest itself once the clock ticked to midnight and I was standing in the middle of a massive crowd assembled for the free concert. I just assumed there would be a massive outpouring of joy and excitement and it was kind of more like a mediocre attempt to celebrate. it seemed to me that the celebration wasn't even as large as that experienced on New Year's Eve around the world. But, as Argentina has a political past with as many stinging memories as a visit to the dentist, it makes sense that they may not be overjoyed at the bicentennial of their independence from Spain.
On this past Wednesday (May 27), our program arranged for us to take free tango lessons at a cultural center in Palermo (one of the ritzier neighborhoods in Buenos Aires). We learned some of the basic steps necessary to fumble through a tango, but the dance floor was so crowded, it was hard to move around without bumping into others. Nonetheless, tango is a symbol of the Argentine nation and it was nice to get a taste for something that makes up so much of what people associate with Argentina.
I won't go into great detail here, but the nightlife in Buenos Aires is so lively that one is always stunned upon looking at the time and seeing the the hour hand nearing 6:00am. Needless to say, the past two weekends have been very fun and cheap due to the awesome US dollar to Argentine peso exchange rate. Every time I look at a receipt, I am pleasantly surprised at what I see.
After almost two weeks in Buenos Aires, I can safely say it is one of my favorite cities in the world. The architecture is beautiful, the people more so and the energy that this city exudes is like none I have ever experienced. Although it is fall here, for the first couple days of our trip, it was quite warm. So, during the cab ride home from my first night out, I took the opportunity to stick my head out the taxi window and let the "good air," if you will, rush across my face. The blurring lights of 9 de julio Avenue moving across my pupils, I shouted out into the early morning, "Me encanta Buenos Aires!"
Brady
"Don't let schooling interfere with your education." - Mark Twain
