24 July 2010
Random Bs.As. photo: Breast Feeding
There's a big campaign here to encourage breast feeding, so there have been a lot of different advertisements all over the city the whole time we've been here. This one translates literally to "Give the tit to your baby."
19 July 2010
We Moved!
The 6-month lease for our apartment in Palermo ended June 30th, and we had made the decision that we were not going to continue renting there a month earlier for various reasons. The reasons we decided to move were mainly 3: the price was too high, Jill’s commute to was too long, and our landlords, frankly, sucked. So the search began! We posted on Craigslist and other BA apartment websites, looked at lots of apartments online and went to visit a few as well. Of the ones we visited we decided on an apartment in San Telmo, only blocks from the apartment where we spent our first month here. It’s a much smaller apartment and we share it with another couple, but the price is half what were paying in Palermo, Jill can walk to almost all of her classes from home, and the landlord seems like a friendly, reasonable (and gay!) man. It also has high ceilings which are ideal for Sara to juggle inside on a rainy day.
So now we’ve been here a few weeks and both feel really happy with the move. Even though it’s small our housemates are great, their names are Kate and Shawn and they are from the UK, they have been here for only a few months less than us and are also teaching English. We’ve had dinner together a few times, getting to know each other and hanging out- they seem like great people. Another perk is that now we have a blender! We’ve been making smoothies every day, and pureeing up all kind of sauces and soups. And a coffee maker! Which means Jill can make real coffee and not sit there and hold a plastic funnel over her mug for 10 minutes while the water strains through.
And we are falling in love with San Telmo again, with more perspective and appreciation this time. The cobble stone streets, cute cafes, and old San Telmo market have been nice to explore again. And we’re branching out to see other nearby (and more Argentine) neighborhoods like Barracas and La Boca as well. We also live right next to Puerto Madero, the newest neighborhood in BA that is as much on the water as you can be here. It is pristine, upscale (not something we love about it) and only accessible by 4 bridges that stretch across a man-made canal coming off the river. It’s a nice place to take walks on the weekends, as it’s filled with people then and also it has the ecological reserve where you can see the river (and Uruguay on a clear day).
So we leave you with some pictures of our new place.
So now we’ve been here a few weeks and both feel really happy with the move. Even though it’s small our housemates are great, their names are Kate and Shawn and they are from the UK, they have been here for only a few months less than us and are also teaching English. We’ve had dinner together a few times, getting to know each other and hanging out- they seem like great people. Another perk is that now we have a blender! We’ve been making smoothies every day, and pureeing up all kind of sauces and soups. And a coffee maker! Which means Jill can make real coffee and not sit there and hold a plastic funnel over her mug for 10 minutes while the water strains through.
And we are falling in love with San Telmo again, with more perspective and appreciation this time. The cobble stone streets, cute cafes, and old San Telmo market have been nice to explore again. And we’re branching out to see other nearby (and more Argentine) neighborhoods like Barracas and La Boca as well. We also live right next to Puerto Madero, the newest neighborhood in BA that is as much on the water as you can be here. It is pristine, upscale (not something we love about it) and only accessible by 4 bridges that stretch across a man-made canal coming off the river. It’s a nice place to take walks on the weekends, as it’s filled with people then and also it has the ecological reserve where you can see the river (and Uruguay on a clear day).
So we leave you with some pictures of our new place.
18 July 2010
The World Cup- Vamos Argentina!
Being here in Argentina for the World Cup was an awesome cultural experience. We really got to feel the excitement and be a part of the passion that people have for soccer. We caught on quickly how important it was as the first games began. It became understood, that if Jill was supposed to teach at the same time of an Argentina game, that class would be canceled. Sara had Spanish class at the same time as a game once, and the streets that are normally so noisy were so quiet, that you could here people screaming from cafes nearby whenever a goal was scored. The city literally just stopped whenever Argentina was playing. We remember going outside on a weekday around noon and wondering where all the people had gone. The streets were literally empty. It was so eerie that we began to wonder if we missed some kind of holiday or announcement about some killer mosquitoes outside. Soon enough however, we heard screams, hoots and hollers, and car horns beeping all across the city at the same time and we remembered that it was the World Cup and Argentina must have scored a ''GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!''
After that experience we knew we had to be more on top of the World Cup, we had to join in on the excitement. From then on we watched all the Argentina games with Argentines. Our first venture out was to an outdoor space in the city where they projected the games on a big screen. This however, was a major fail because there were just way too many people. The park that it was in was so crowded that you could barely move, and to be able to see you would have had to elbow your way through. We opted to leave the public viewing area in Plaza San Martin and went to a cafe instead. The cafes were overcrowded with people, even those who couldn't get a seat would stand outside and watch through the windows. Light blue and white stripes were everywhere, along with crazy hats, face paint, and the loud (and annoying) vuvuzelas. We even purchased our own "Selección Argentina" jerseys, knock offs of course, with #10 Messi and #11 Tevez on the backs.
The atmosphere in the cafes was indescribable, the closest thing I could ever imagine to it might be watching the final world series game with the Yankees and the Red Sox in a Boston Bar, but even that seems tame compared to this. Everyone, including us, were on the edges of their seats. Every time there was a goal the whole cafe would erupt with screams, cheers, and applause that would last a few minutes, everyone was on their feet hugging and jumping. And when the games were won people cheered for even longer and left with the biggest smiles on their faces. The atmosphere in the whole city after the first few wins felt so different, everyone was abuzz and smiling and it just felt like such a happy place.
Argentina defeated Nigeria (1:0), Korea (2:1), and tied with Greece (0:0), defeated Mexico (3-1) and ultimately made it to the semi-finals to face Germany. We went to a cafe in a more Argentine part of town for this final game, sporting our jerseys, but it was a huge disappointment. Argentina lost the game with a final score of (4:0) and they were out of the World Cup. After the second goal it seemed like Argentina stopped pushing and the Germany's defense was impenetrable. It was so disappointing after all the hype, and the way the cafe felt after the second goal was scored was just dismal. The city felt even more depressing after the game was over. It was strange being outside looking at all the sad and disappointed faces and hearing the silence.
The general feel of the city throughout the victories and the final loss at the World Cup was really intense and all-encompassing. In many ways it made us feel so much more connected to the people around us. There was such a sense of solidarity all throughout the city, that even we, as foreigners, felt a part of it. It was really amazing how every soul came together to watch, cheer, jeer, and be passionate about the game. We have never felt that kind of solidarity before. It's amazing to think what the impact of that kind of passion could be if it were applied to a major world issue, like hunger, or war. But, for now, it's fútbol.
We'll look to 2014- vamos Argentina!
After that experience we knew we had to be more on top of the World Cup, we had to join in on the excitement. From then on we watched all the Argentina games with Argentines. Our first venture out was to an outdoor space in the city where they projected the games on a big screen. This however, was a major fail because there were just way too many people. The park that it was in was so crowded that you could barely move, and to be able to see you would have had to elbow your way through. We opted to leave the public viewing area in Plaza San Martin and went to a cafe instead. The cafes were overcrowded with people, even those who couldn't get a seat would stand outside and watch through the windows. Light blue and white stripes were everywhere, along with crazy hats, face paint, and the loud (and annoying) vuvuzelas. We even purchased our own "Selección Argentina" jerseys, knock offs of course, with #10 Messi and #11 Tevez on the backs.
The atmosphere in the cafes was indescribable, the closest thing I could ever imagine to it might be watching the final world series game with the Yankees and the Red Sox in a Boston Bar, but even that seems tame compared to this. Everyone, including us, were on the edges of their seats. Every time there was a goal the whole cafe would erupt with screams, cheers, and applause that would last a few minutes, everyone was on their feet hugging and jumping. And when the games were won people cheered for even longer and left with the biggest smiles on their faces. The atmosphere in the whole city after the first few wins felt so different, everyone was abuzz and smiling and it just felt like such a happy place.
Argentina defeated Nigeria (1:0), Korea (2:1), and tied with Greece (0:0), defeated Mexico (3-1) and ultimately made it to the semi-finals to face Germany. We went to a cafe in a more Argentine part of town for this final game, sporting our jerseys, but it was a huge disappointment. Argentina lost the game with a final score of (4:0) and they were out of the World Cup. After the second goal it seemed like Argentina stopped pushing and the Germany's defense was impenetrable. It was so disappointing after all the hype, and the way the cafe felt after the second goal was scored was just dismal. The city felt even more depressing after the game was over. It was strange being outside looking at all the sad and disappointed faces and hearing the silence.
The general feel of the city throughout the victories and the final loss at the World Cup was really intense and all-encompassing. In many ways it made us feel so much more connected to the people around us. There was such a sense of solidarity all throughout the city, that even we, as foreigners, felt a part of it. It was really amazing how every soul came together to watch, cheer, jeer, and be passionate about the game. We have never felt that kind of solidarity before. It's amazing to think what the impact of that kind of passion could be if it were applied to a major world issue, like hunger, or war. But, for now, it's fútbol.
We'll look to 2014- vamos Argentina!
12 July 2010
Random Bs.As. photo: Shhhh!
The nuns want you to be quiet here even when you're leaving the parking lot of a hospital.
10 July 2010
"Go and drink wine with the people," a post dedicated to Jill's mom
In the recent months we were getting through a lot of the touristy things we wanted to do and were trying to find another way to experience BA. One of Sara’s assignments for her Spanish class was to pick a café from a list of Café/Bar Notables around the city and go with a classmate. These cafes and bars are designated as “notables” because they are oldest in the city and each one has its own historical relevance to Buenos Aires. We thought this would be a great way to take Jill’s Mom’s advice to “go and drink wine with the people” - something she told Jill to do every week on Skype. Now it is part of our weekly routine to go to a café notable and drink vino (wine), cerveza (beer), clerico (white sangria), hot chocolate, submarinos (steamed milk that you drop a bar of chocolate into), and sidra (cider) with the people and it’s been great.
BA is famous for its café culture. At any time of the day, but particularly in the late afternoons and on the weekends you see people of all ages meeting up at these bars. And each one is very unique in its own way. For example, last week we went to La Giralda, which is known for its hot chocolate and churros. The hot chocolate was definitely delicious, and different than the submarinos that are found on menus everywhere. And really how can you go wrong with churros? These pastries are made of fried dough, covered in cinnamon and sugar and often filled with crème or dulce de leche. It was clearly popular with Argentinians as well since the place was packed and everyone seemed to be ordering the same thing. The ambiance here, didn’t feel as sophisticated as others we’d been in, as it had neon lights and the walls behind the bar were lined by whiskey flasks.
Another notable we went to with Jess and also Sara’s family was El Federal, one of the older ones in the city with a beautiful stained-glass bar. This bar has artisan beer and papas fritas provenzal (french fries smothered in olive oil and garlic-yum). Bar Seddon, is another that has a darker ambiance with low music playing and candles everywhere. We went here with Jess for a happy hour one weeknight, and on another trip we watched the World Cup with Jill B. and Elana and ordered a giant picada of meats, cheese, and olives. On Jill's birthday, we had gone to Las Violetas with Sara's family, but unfortunately, they weren't serving afternoon tea because they were closing early for New Year's Eve. So we revisited the cafe on one of our last days with Jess and had afternoon tea, which consisted of a plate piled with finger sandwiches and pastries, three pots of tea, and flutes of champagne.
So as you can see, each one has its own charm. Looking at the list we've also been to Bar Britanico, Bar Plaza Dorrego, Cafe Tortoni, Clasica y Moderna, Confiteria Ideal, El Gato Negro, El Hipopotamo, La Petit Colon, La Poesia, and Richmond. Out of the 60 that are still open we have collectively been to 14, and we’re still going!
BA is famous for its café culture. At any time of the day, but particularly in the late afternoons and on the weekends you see people of all ages meeting up at these bars. And each one is very unique in its own way. For example, last week we went to La Giralda, which is known for its hot chocolate and churros. The hot chocolate was definitely delicious, and different than the submarinos that are found on menus everywhere. And really how can you go wrong with churros? These pastries are made of fried dough, covered in cinnamon and sugar and often filled with crème or dulce de leche. It was clearly popular with Argentinians as well since the place was packed and everyone seemed to be ordering the same thing. The ambiance here, didn’t feel as sophisticated as others we’d been in, as it had neon lights and the walls behind the bar were lined by whiskey flasks.
Another notable we went to with Jess and also Sara’s family was El Federal, one of the older ones in the city with a beautiful stained-glass bar. This bar has artisan beer and papas fritas provenzal (french fries smothered in olive oil and garlic-yum). Bar Seddon, is another that has a darker ambiance with low music playing and candles everywhere. We went here with Jess for a happy hour one weeknight, and on another trip we watched the World Cup with Jill B. and Elana and ordered a giant picada of meats, cheese, and olives. On Jill's birthday, we had gone to Las Violetas with Sara's family, but unfortunately, they weren't serving afternoon tea because they were closing early for New Year's Eve. So we revisited the cafe on one of our last days with Jess and had afternoon tea, which consisted of a plate piled with finger sandwiches and pastries, three pots of tea, and flutes of champagne.
So as you can see, each one has its own charm. Looking at the list we've also been to Bar Britanico, Bar Plaza Dorrego, Cafe Tortoni, Clasica y Moderna, Confiteria Ideal, El Gato Negro, El Hipopotamo, La Petit Colon, La Poesia, and Richmond. Out of the 60 that are still open we have collectively been to 14, and we’re still going!
06 July 2010
4th of July
There are so many American expats in Buenos Aires that there were a few large scale parties happening to celebrate the 4th of July. But since we hadn't read about anything that reminded us of the 4th (potlucks or fireworks), we headed out to a restaurant called Kansas. Kansas serves "American-style barbecue" food, which is kind of vague since barbecue styles vary widely all over the country. Still, the food at Kansas was delicious and really felt like American food. Argentina has excellent meat, but when they grill it here, they tend to either not season the meat or season it with very little. So eating a rack of ribs coated with barbecue sauce was quite a treat here, as was the baked potato stuffed with panceta (tasty, but still not real bacon) and the Caesar salad (with real Caesar dressing)!
In the states, neither Jill or I would typically go out of our way to eat barbecue or other "American" foods. Neither of us eats much peanut butter, chocolate chip cookies, cornbread, or pancakes with syrup, but since those things don't really exist here, we find ourselves craving all of those foods. So we've been eating (or trying to eat) each of those things quite a bit more than we ever have in the states.
In the states, neither Jill or I would typically go out of our way to eat barbecue or other "American" foods. Neither of us eats much peanut butter, chocolate chip cookies, cornbread, or pancakes with syrup, but since those things don't really exist here, we find ourselves craving all of those foods. So we've been eating (or trying to eat) each of those things quite a bit more than we ever have in the states.
03 July 2010
Random Bs.As. photo: Subte is a Jungle Gym
You see a lot of weird things happen when you live in a big city for very long. Some Girl decided that hanging from the poles on the subway while it was fairly busy was a great idea.
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