This is my first attempt at a vlog entry. I talk about our experiences with food in BA during our first three weeks here. Expect a vlog entry from Jill within the next few weeks!
20 November 2009
10 November 2009
La Marcha del Orgullo LGBT en Buenos Aires
After our Circus Conventure (get it? convention + adventure...heh) we were exhausted to say the least, but wanted to gear up for pride. We got back to out apartment by noon and took a 2 hour siesta to prepare since people in Argentina party until the sun comes up. We got to the feria in Plaza de Mayo at 5, and it was really crowded. There were so many people- young, old, local, foreign, and from all parts of the sexuality and gender spectrums and their respective niches. It seemed much bigger this year than it was even just two years ago when I was here. There were all sorts of tables and stands where people were giving out information about centers, libraries, clubs as well as selling clothing and paraphernalia. We got ourselves some t-shirts commemorating the march. There was live music and rainbow flags flying high right in front of the Presidential Palace, La Casa Rosada (the pink house).
At every table there were petitions for gay marriage in Argentina, as the issue is currenlty in the supreme court and up for debate in Congress. The passing of law would make Argentina the first country in Latin America to legalize same-sex marriage. In 2002 Argentina became the first Latin American city to legalize civil unions between same sex couples, but we learned from some people we met at the march that these unions are only labels that come without tangible benefits (employee benefits, adoption rights, etc) and that they are only recognized within the city since it is an 'autonomous" city. You can read more about the issue here. It hit pretty close to home with all that's been happening in the states this year with gay marriage, but particularly with this week's prop 8-esque disappointment in Maine and the countdown to see what happens in New York. We'll keep you posted on Argentina...
After the feria the March began, but it felt more like a long rallying parade. There were open floats with as many people as could fit loaded up on them. There was cheering, singing, dancing, and drumming in the streets. We met up with a few people we had emailed with before, mostly Brazilians, some Argentines and one other Estadounidense from Framingham, MA - small world! We marched along with the floats in the parade drinking Quilmes beer and dancing in the street. The march went from the Casa Rosada to the Obelisk and ended at a political rally in front of Congreso (the capitol building of Argentina). We had such a fun time being at the feria and the march, and getting to hang out with our newfound friends. As hard as we tried, however, we just could not make it to the afterparty, as it wasn't even going to get started until 3am. Right around 1:30am, as we were each taking turns nodding off while trying to engage in Spanish and Portuguese (!) conversations at the apartment of one of these friends, we made the executive decision to go home and get some sleep. So, we vowed to go out with our friends another night, when we've had more rest and can actually enjoy the festivities.
Being here at this kind of event with Sara made the real distinction for me from where I was when I was here two years ago and where I am now. It's leading me on a path that's a bit more self actualizing than before, probably because I know more about who I am and what I believe in. I also feel like I have much more control over this experience and much more of an idea of what I want to get out of it. Last time I felt as though I was thrown into a sea of newness while still being very anchored to my life at home and it didn't leave me with as much room to swim around and explore. Now that I'm here, a little bit older and wiser, without the time constraints of a semester and a hyper-structured college life waiting for me back home, I feel so much more free to explore and confident that I can make this experience what I want it to be. It also certainly helps to have Sara here, someone who I love who is just as excited as me to be here and has just as much of an adventurous and curious spirit as I do.
At every table there were petitions for gay marriage in Argentina, as the issue is currenlty in the supreme court and up for debate in Congress. The passing of law would make Argentina the first country in Latin America to legalize same-sex marriage. In 2002 Argentina became the first Latin American city to legalize civil unions between same sex couples, but we learned from some people we met at the march that these unions are only labels that come without tangible benefits (employee benefits, adoption rights, etc) and that they are only recognized within the city since it is an 'autonomous" city. You can read more about the issue here. It hit pretty close to home with all that's been happening in the states this year with gay marriage, but particularly with this week's prop 8-esque disappointment in Maine and the countdown to see what happens in New York. We'll keep you posted on Argentina...
After the feria the March began, but it felt more like a long rallying parade. There were open floats with as many people as could fit loaded up on them. There was cheering, singing, dancing, and drumming in the streets. We met up with a few people we had emailed with before, mostly Brazilians, some Argentines and one other Estadounidense from Framingham, MA - small world! We marched along with the floats in the parade drinking Quilmes beer and dancing in the street. The march went from the Casa Rosada to the Obelisk and ended at a political rally in front of Congreso (the capitol building of Argentina). We had such a fun time being at the feria and the march, and getting to hang out with our newfound friends. As hard as we tried, however, we just could not make it to the afterparty, as it wasn't even going to get started until 3am. Right around 1:30am, as we were each taking turns nodding off while trying to engage in Spanish and Portuguese (!) conversations at the apartment of one of these friends, we made the executive decision to go home and get some sleep. So, we vowed to go out with our friends another night, when we've had more rest and can actually enjoy the festivities.
Being here at this kind of event with Sara made the real distinction for me from where I was when I was here two years ago and where I am now. It's leading me on a path that's a bit more self actualizing than before, probably because I know more about who I am and what I believe in. I also feel like I have much more control over this experience and much more of an idea of what I want to get out of it. Last time I felt as though I was thrown into a sea of newness while still being very anchored to my life at home and it didn't leave me with as much room to swim around and explore. Now that I'm here, a little bit older and wiser, without the time constraints of a semester and a hyper-structured college life waiting for me back home, I feel so much more free to explore and confident that I can make this experience what I want it to be. It also certainly helps to have Sara here, someone who I love who is just as excited as me to be here and has just as much of an adventurous and curious spirit as I do.
13ª Convención Argentina de Circo, Payasos y Espectáculos Callejeros
Last Wednesday, Jill and I headed to Argentina's 13th annual Circus, Clown, and Street Performer Convention. Before we left Capital Federal (the city of Buenos Aires), we rented camping equipment, and took the most terrifying cab ride of our lives--the lane lines here mean pretty much nothing. Then we waited on on Avenida 9 de Julio, the widest boulevard in the world, and caught a shuttle to Monte Grande (a suburb located within the greater Buenos Aires area). Monte Grande looked exactly like the way American movies stereotypically depict South America. I had thought Capital Federal felt pretty run down in some places, but Monte Grande was much more dismal. There was trash everywhere, it was dusty, there was no grass to be seen, the cars were all old and dented, and every now and then a local would ride by in horse drawn cart. In the middle of all of that, were the campgrounds where the festival took place. Things inside the gated campgrounds felt pristine and stood in stark contrast to the rest of Monte Grande.
We arrived just in time to set up our tent before sunset. Most of the convention was really fun. The circus shows were really good and I was pretty amazed at the quality of the performances for the little amount of money we paid to get in. The shows were emceed by clowns, but they weren't really like the typical clown you see in the U.S. They were more like hippie-clowns, and they all had both circus and music skills. One of the shows included an improv competition between three teams. Everyone in the audience received a ball they could throw at anytime when they disapproved of anything that happened during the show. Experiencing the audience was almost as interesting as watching the performers. People drank and smoked inside the circus tent, clapped in time and sang with the music, and booed if a performer was out of line.
Being at the convention really made me feel lonely for the first time here. It was really frustrating to feel like I couldn't really communicate with anyone at the convention. Thankfully, I learned fairly quickly how to ask in Spanish if other jugglers wanted to pass clubs. When I attended any workshops, I missed quite a bit of what went on since I didn't understand what anyone was saying, but because juggling is so physical, it was pretty easy to just try to do what other people were doing. One of the instructors knew I didn't understand Spanish, but he came up to me later to try to show me some things individually, which was incredibly nice and made me feel more welcome. I think Jill got a little bored at the convention, but it was very sweet of her to attend with me. She ended up learning how to juggle 3 clubs very quickly and got 26 catches on her second day of trying! She also participated in a workshop where a everyone danced with one juggling club.
We tried to go to sleep early on our last night at the convention so we could get up early to go to back to the city for pride, but a group of people camping near us began singing loudly and making lots of noise. Right now, Jill is really the only one who can communicate with Argentines. After getting up enough courage, she went out to ask them if they would please be a little quieter. Rather than doing that, Jill accidentally asked them to make more noise! They laughed a little bit but were kind and moved their festivities outside of the camping area so we could get some rest. I'm not sure how the Argentines do it--the official convention activities didn't end until 4 or 5 in the morning that day and people would be up by 9am! Anyway, we left the convention early on Saturday (it ran until Sunday afternoon) so we could make it to pride.
We arrived just in time to set up our tent before sunset. Most of the convention was really fun. The circus shows were really good and I was pretty amazed at the quality of the performances for the little amount of money we paid to get in. The shows were emceed by clowns, but they weren't really like the typical clown you see in the U.S. They were more like hippie-clowns, and they all had both circus and music skills. One of the shows included an improv competition between three teams. Everyone in the audience received a ball they could throw at anytime when they disapproved of anything that happened during the show. Experiencing the audience was almost as interesting as watching the performers. People drank and smoked inside the circus tent, clapped in time and sang with the music, and booed if a performer was out of line.
Being at the convention really made me feel lonely for the first time here. It was really frustrating to feel like I couldn't really communicate with anyone at the convention. Thankfully, I learned fairly quickly how to ask in Spanish if other jugglers wanted to pass clubs. When I attended any workshops, I missed quite a bit of what went on since I didn't understand what anyone was saying, but because juggling is so physical, it was pretty easy to just try to do what other people were doing. One of the instructors knew I didn't understand Spanish, but he came up to me later to try to show me some things individually, which was incredibly nice and made me feel more welcome. I think Jill got a little bored at the convention, but it was very sweet of her to attend with me. She ended up learning how to juggle 3 clubs very quickly and got 26 catches on her second day of trying! She also participated in a workshop where a everyone danced with one juggling club.
We tried to go to sleep early on our last night at the convention so we could get up early to go to back to the city for pride, but a group of people camping near us began singing loudly and making lots of noise. Right now, Jill is really the only one who can communicate with Argentines. After getting up enough courage, she went out to ask them if they would please be a little quieter. Rather than doing that, Jill accidentally asked them to make more noise! They laughed a little bit but were kind and moved their festivities outside of the camping area so we could get some rest. I'm not sure how the Argentines do it--the official convention activities didn't end until 4 or 5 in the morning that day and people would be up by 9am! Anyway, we left the convention early on Saturday (it ran until Sunday afternoon) so we could make it to pride.
04 November 2009
In Buenos Aires... Finally!
Hola amigos y familia!
We arrived in Buenos Aires last Friday after two and a half very long days of travel. Our journey began on Wednesday morning, when we nearly missed the train we were taking from Boston to NYC. We literally jumped on the train as it was pulling out of South Station, which left us without enough time for proper goodbyes to Jill's family :( When we arrived in NYC, it was raining, and we had no hands free for umbrellas because they were tied to our bags. Jill's friend Bliss works near Penn Station, so we headed over to her office to say hello and store our 4 big suitcases and 2 backpacks. We decided to walk the 10 blocks or so in the rain--bad idea--we got soaked. We hung around Bryant Park and Times Square while we waited out the workday so we could get our last real US meal with Bliss and Jill's other friend, Steph. It was so nice to spend time with them and have some familiarity in our last rushed moments, and Bliss was super helpful in letting us store our luggage for the day and helping us get to the airport. Thanks so much Bliss for helping us out and Steph for squeezing us into your day!
We were pretty tired by the time we got to JFK, but our flight took off at 2 AM as expected so everything was okay so far. When our five hour flight landed in Mexico City, we figured out that Mexicana (our airline) had canceled our second flight without notifying us. Our flight to Buenos Aires was supposed to leave at 8 AM with only a 3 hour layover, but they had put us on a later flight leaving at 10 PM making it a 17 hour layover! We tried to figure out how we were going to spend 17 hours in the airport but soon found ourselves falling asleep in chairs at restaurants. Luckily Jill's mom had packed us some amazing food, which really helped tie us over, and Sara's mom used some hotel points she had built up to get us a hotel room, which allowed us to get some solid sleep and made the time go by MUCH faster! At 10 PM, we finally boarded our plane, backed out of the gate and the flight attendants went over the safety precautions. Shortly thereafter, we pulled back into the gate. A mechanical problem meant we had to deplane and spend another hour and a half in the airport until it was fixed. After we took off about two and a half hours late, things were smooth sailing until we landed in Buenos Aires...
About a month ago, we set up an agreement to rent an apartment for a month upon our arrival here. We had been in touch with the landlord through email but were unable to get in touch with him when we landed, so we headed over to the apartment. When we got there, we were lucky that the other tennant happened to be there. He let us into the apartment, but we couldn't get into our room because he didn't have a key for it and the previous tennant hadn't finished moving out. The apartment was supposed to have a phone that could be used to make local calls, but we found out it only recieved calls. So for about an hour, we went back and forth between a phone/internet cafe and the apartment to try to find a phone number that actually worked for the landlord. None of the numbers he gave us worked. We went to an art gallery near the apartment because the landlord's girlfriend supposedly worked there, but she wasn't there either. When we went back to the apartment to figure out our next move, the previous tennant showed up. Both he and the current tennant told us about how awful the landlord was. The wireless internet had been out for 8 weeks, the phone couldn't be used to make local calls, they had once forgotten to pay the electricity bill so the power got turned off, a balcony had flooded during a heavy rain and the landlord wanted to take any repairs out of the tennants' deposits, and the room had not been cleaned since the previous tennant hadn't finished moving out. We felt overwhelmed and stressed out to the max, so we fled to a hostel to get some rest and figure out our next move.
We decided not to live at the apartment with the sketchy landlord, but since it was Friday, we weren't going to be able to find real housing until the next week. We lived in the hostel for three days, and on Monday night we moved into the apartment we're staying in now. It's in San Telmo, a funky artsy neighborhood - it's a small cute studio with a seemingly great owner. We'll be here for a month while we find our more permanent housing and hopefully employment. So after a pretty hellish and hectic first coupld of days, we're finally finding our feet here in Buenos Aires.
A few glimmering moments from the last few days that kept us anchored here:
-Taking a walk on our first night in BA to get some food, we stumbled upon some local people juggling in the park - Sara joined in and passed with them while Jill cheered and tried to translate juggling terms on the side.
-Jill meeting up with Walter outside his apartment in San Telmo with a big hug and un beso where she used to hang out all the time with Betsy when she studied abroad, and then also running into Graciela, the director of the program she came with last time, hours before she had to fly back to the US.
-New potential friends, a Brazilian woman and a Colombian man living in BA (both gay), who originally emailed us about housing, and now have invited us to go to pride with them next week.
-1.5 liter bottle of local beer costs about $1 US and Superpanchos (Sara's new favorite snack) cost even less than that.
-The owner of this apartment works for Konex bomba, a really cool drumming show that happens every Monday night in BA and has given us free invites.
-Bidets in every bathroom, no matter how tiny. And they are better than you think they would be, actually kinda nice.
Es todo! For now, we're off to a circus/juggling festival for a few days. Welcome to our blog!
We arrived in Buenos Aires last Friday after two and a half very long days of travel. Our journey began on Wednesday morning, when we nearly missed the train we were taking from Boston to NYC. We literally jumped on the train as it was pulling out of South Station, which left us without enough time for proper goodbyes to Jill's family :( When we arrived in NYC, it was raining, and we had no hands free for umbrellas because they were tied to our bags. Jill's friend Bliss works near Penn Station, so we headed over to her office to say hello and store our 4 big suitcases and 2 backpacks. We decided to walk the 10 blocks or so in the rain--bad idea--we got soaked. We hung around Bryant Park and Times Square while we waited out the workday so we could get our last real US meal with Bliss and Jill's other friend, Steph. It was so nice to spend time with them and have some familiarity in our last rushed moments, and Bliss was super helpful in letting us store our luggage for the day and helping us get to the airport. Thanks so much Bliss for helping us out and Steph for squeezing us into your day!
We were pretty tired by the time we got to JFK, but our flight took off at 2 AM as expected so everything was okay so far. When our five hour flight landed in Mexico City, we figured out that Mexicana (our airline) had canceled our second flight without notifying us. Our flight to Buenos Aires was supposed to leave at 8 AM with only a 3 hour layover, but they had put us on a later flight leaving at 10 PM making it a 17 hour layover! We tried to figure out how we were going to spend 17 hours in the airport but soon found ourselves falling asleep in chairs at restaurants. Luckily Jill's mom had packed us some amazing food, which really helped tie us over, and Sara's mom used some hotel points she had built up to get us a hotel room, which allowed us to get some solid sleep and made the time go by MUCH faster! At 10 PM, we finally boarded our plane, backed out of the gate and the flight attendants went over the safety precautions. Shortly thereafter, we pulled back into the gate. A mechanical problem meant we had to deplane and spend another hour and a half in the airport until it was fixed. After we took off about two and a half hours late, things were smooth sailing until we landed in Buenos Aires...
About a month ago, we set up an agreement to rent an apartment for a month upon our arrival here. We had been in touch with the landlord through email but were unable to get in touch with him when we landed, so we headed over to the apartment. When we got there, we were lucky that the other tennant happened to be there. He let us into the apartment, but we couldn't get into our room because he didn't have a key for it and the previous tennant hadn't finished moving out. The apartment was supposed to have a phone that could be used to make local calls, but we found out it only recieved calls. So for about an hour, we went back and forth between a phone/internet cafe and the apartment to try to find a phone number that actually worked for the landlord. None of the numbers he gave us worked. We went to an art gallery near the apartment because the landlord's girlfriend supposedly worked there, but she wasn't there either. When we went back to the apartment to figure out our next move, the previous tennant showed up. Both he and the current tennant told us about how awful the landlord was. The wireless internet had been out for 8 weeks, the phone couldn't be used to make local calls, they had once forgotten to pay the electricity bill so the power got turned off, a balcony had flooded during a heavy rain and the landlord wanted to take any repairs out of the tennants' deposits, and the room had not been cleaned since the previous tennant hadn't finished moving out. We felt overwhelmed and stressed out to the max, so we fled to a hostel to get some rest and figure out our next move.
We decided not to live at the apartment with the sketchy landlord, but since it was Friday, we weren't going to be able to find real housing until the next week. We lived in the hostel for three days, and on Monday night we moved into the apartment we're staying in now. It's in San Telmo, a funky artsy neighborhood - it's a small cute studio with a seemingly great owner. We'll be here for a month while we find our more permanent housing and hopefully employment. So after a pretty hellish and hectic first coupld of days, we're finally finding our feet here in Buenos Aires.
A few glimmering moments from the last few days that kept us anchored here:
-Taking a walk on our first night in BA to get some food, we stumbled upon some local people juggling in the park - Sara joined in and passed with them while Jill cheered and tried to translate juggling terms on the side.
-Jill meeting up with Walter outside his apartment in San Telmo with a big hug and un beso where she used to hang out all the time with Betsy when she studied abroad, and then also running into Graciela, the director of the program she came with last time, hours before she had to fly back to the US.
-New potential friends, a Brazilian woman and a Colombian man living in BA (both gay), who originally emailed us about housing, and now have invited us to go to pride with them next week.
-1.5 liter bottle of local beer costs about $1 US and Superpanchos (Sara's new favorite snack) cost even less than that.
-The owner of this apartment works for Konex bomba, a really cool drumming show that happens every Monday night in BA and has given us free invites.
-Bidets in every bathroom, no matter how tiny. And they are better than you think they would be, actually kinda nice.
Es todo! For now, we're off to a circus/juggling festival for a few days. Welcome to our blog!
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