Sorry that I have been absent from writing, I got a case of food poisoning (not fun) last weekend and didn't really get much better until Wednesday. Needless to say, my weekend was not spent having fun outside the vicinity of my bathroom.

However, I did go to the zoo on Friday and took some pictures. A zoo is a zoo really no matter where you go, and this one was no exception. There were a few notable differences however: first, they have this awful idea where you can buy a bucket of food to throw to the animals (with the exception of the tigers and other animals that could kill you in a second). Little kids just chuck food everywhere and some of the animals get used to begging, which is not good behavior. Although it was a bit funny because there was this certain species of bear that kept jumping up on his hind legs so people would toss him a bite--kind of funny.

Also, it seemed to me that some of the more potentially dangerous animals were not contained securely enough. For example, the two lions were only separated by some reinforced glass and the white tiger (yes, there was a majestic white tiger which also majestically peed a few feet from us) was separated by the same. It was a good thing that they all seemed to be content with their lodgings, because I'm sure if they really wanted to breakout, the kitty snacks are only a paw swipe away.

Another neat thing, is that a lot of these animals actually are native to Argentina, or regions around the country because of the Amazon and diverse geography/geology.

Finally, we were looking at a group of about 6 baboons when one of the smaller ones starting taunting the biggest one. It was pretty funny until the big guy snapped and the whole cage went insane. These things were screaming and chasing after each other until the instigator finally ran to the far end of the cage--haha. Dinner and a show.









One thing I have been learning as I have been witnessing it, is that there are many protests on a weekly basis. Since my everyday route takes me next to the congress building, I end up seeing these protests EVERY time. Some of them are smaller, but some, like the other day, consisted of 5 different medical care groups all with a drum line, flashing ambulances, and extremely loud fireworks. They were of course, protesting for a salary hike. I'm told that everyone protests here, even the high school students when they feel school conditions aern't good enough. I also have learned that like Europe, there exists a gigantic (corrupt) union system here. There is a union for everything. If the subway drivers feel that they aern't being treated well, they strike; if the cabbies aern't getting good wages, they strike; if even the smallest organization feels that is is mistreated, it strikes. being the pro-capitalist, right to work person that I am, I would really like to be able to call these people bums, but I simply do not know enough about their actual situations to accurately judge.

Finally, I have found one of the best programs on television anywhere. it is called Show Match. It is very difficult to explain because the show does not really have a true format--but it is the most popular show in Argentina by a mile...or kilometer? The show is hosted by a super-rich entertainment star named Marcello Tinelli (in his forties, divorced, and has LOTS of money). The premise of the show is that there is a dance theme and there are roughly 6-8 pairs that dance and are then rated by a panel of 5 (ridiculous/flamboyant) judges. However, between each dance, there is always some random drama that is happening either on-stage or backstage amongst the members of the show or production team. Additionally, the show employs a bunch of (hilarious) gimmicks and side attractions to add to the mesh:

• a group of scantily clad women who take over for advertisements and intermissions
• a set of female twins who exist for really no reason, but are always there
• (my personal favorite) two men who always hysterically laugh at everyone and everything
• funny editing and goofy music transitions

Because this show is so sporadic, it lasts for like, 2 hours--3 days a week. I hope I can still watch it when I go home because it is really entertaining. I will have another post soon with some more stuff--and some pictures of Showmatch--it's so funny.

Yeah, that just happened.

(various random pictures throughout this post--explanation at bottom)
Tomorrow I will be starting my second week of school (national holiday today, sha-wing). And I feel that I have bit more of a handle on things. Most of my first week went very well, but some of it can be rated somewhere between "intimidating" and "crap-my-pants". I am currently taking 6 courses and 5 of them are located in the relatively foreigner-safe confines of the program headquarters. The professors are very nice and fairly easy to understand and the material is mostly very interesting. The classes are 3 hours and once per week. Overall, I am very pleased. UBA (U of Buenos Aires) on the other hand, was absolutely mind-numbing. This class that I take is called "Compared legislation" and its offered at the poli sci building, roughly a 15-minute walk northwest of my apartment. The class is Tuesdays at 7 p.m and consists of 2 parts which last for a total of 4 hours--so a nice refreshing class right? yea. So I leave about 25 minutes early so I would have a little time to spare in case I got lost accidentally. As I approached the street that the building was allegedly on, I saw nothing that would even indicate whether or not I had arrived at the correct place; the building is melded with other buildings next to it and looks no different than anything else on the street--so pretty easy to find.

I finally roll in and head upstairs to the 4th floor where again, my class allegedly was. The school or building, appeared to be an alternate stage for The Blackboard Jungle: there are posters EVERYWHERE political graffiti all over the place, and people lighting-up their cowboy killers in the hallways (which is funny because smoking is banned in most public places here). I eventually take a seat in the hallway outside the classroom door and wait for the previous class to end. A minute later, a man who looked about 30 asked me a question...I had no idea what he said. He asked me again, and then i just told him that I didn't even know. Very smooth on my part. Finally the doors open I seat myself in the rather quaint classroom. About 5 minutes later, the professor (woman) and her posse of assistants walk in to begin the class. The next few minutes proceed as follows:

(I am very nervous and and time passes slowly)
Professor introduces herself
Professor says something else
We introduce ourselves
I discover I am the only foreigner
People give me goofy looks
Something else about a project and communications are mentioned...am I in the right class?
We need to get in groups of 3 to start our semester project
I am panicking
I am so nervous that I am laughing out loud
Nobody is looking at me
I bite the bullet and ask a girl to work with me--and to my astonishment, she said yes.

That was like the scariest few minutes I had spent in a while. All I have to say, is thank god I met that girl, because she explained a great deal of what was happening in the class. She also subsequentially explained to me that the class is a communications class, not just comparative government--Albion shouldn't mind this small detail. We got another guy to work with us, and he seemed pretty nice too. So that class concludes and there is some lag time until I have to go to the lecture part of class. We end up going downstairs to a lecture room that looks like it was full of pews rather than desks. A few minutes later, the professor shows up and begins class. He opens his mouth and I have literally NO IDEA WHAT IS HAPPENING. His spoke incredibly fast. So for the better half of 2 hours, I sat in my seat feeling like Forrest Gump's dumb brother trying to piece together what was being said. I managed to comprehend some things and take a few notes, but I definitely lost the battle. The prof seems like a nice dude, hopefully I can tune in better tomorrow evening. That's basically what happened in a nutshell. In other words, it is the complete opposite of Albion in every way possible. Darwin is starting to ring a bell here.

Anyway, I will try to get some pics of the school. As dumpy as it is, it is nonetheless an interesting place. Below, I have some pics taken from the ecological reserve and the waterfront (Puerto Madero) in one of the best/prettiest parts of the entire city. I have some cool skyline photos. This area is essentially the same angle of the picture to this blog--except during the day. And the pink house "Casa Rosada" is the equivalent of the White House. In Please enjoy!

(Hooters is not a "cultural" aspect in case anyone is confused)

San Antonio de Areco pics

Here are images from this weekend with my commentary in the post below. It's really hard to arrange photos in this blog, so sorry for the sloppiness. Also, tomorrow I will talk about my first week of school (intense) and post some cool skyline pics of the eco- preserve. I got the zoom on my camera to work again, so hopefully I will be getting some "closer" photos.

When In Rome...

Sorry everyone, the last few days has been very busy and tiresome--I have a lot to talk about. First I guess I will start with last weekend. Last Thursday I took a bus with my program roughly two hours northwest of the city of Buenos Aires to the small pueblo of San Antonio de Areco. Our visit was for the purpose of learning about gaucho culture (Argentine cowboys) and getting a chance to experience the pampas (Argentine flat lands). In short, it was awesome! The trip lasted from Thursday morning to Friday evening and I stayed in a quaint hotel in the center of town. The hotel was run by a crotchety old man--which was funny, but the thing about the people out in the campo (country) is the not me, nor anyone else could understand anything that they were saying. They spoke Spanish of course, but mostly in a slurred mumble.

(Here I will launch into a brief historical rant--grab a beer if you would like). Historically, there is a great disconnect between the city of Bs. As. (which is autonomous like D.C.) and the rest of the country--particularly the gauchos. It is similar in sentiment to the American Cowboy: these people lived by their own means and maintained minimal government, but were eventually rendered obsolete as federalism grew and civilization spread to various reaches of Argentina. Until, eventually, everything was brought under federal jurisdiction. The people of the campo have tried to maintain their own identity over the years. So there exists a bitterness between the two entities. (You may now finish your beer).

Anyway, we are all checked-in, dah-dah-dah, and end up getting a tour of the city...starting with lunch. All I have to say about the food situation, is that these people know how to eat! Lunch consisted of two huge breaded cutlets of carne with a boat load of mashed potatoes, 2 delicious beef empanadas, bread, and a salad. Oh, and free re-fiiiiiils woot woot! However, dinner the next evening was the best of all; they started serving empanadas at 5 and then switched over to these sausage sandwich things. After that, we were seated and ate salad, pork chops and bread--still not the main course yet. When it finally came, the main course was carne asada, which was 4, I repeat, 4 entire racks of cow ribs cooked by fire in a giant spit. I took some pictures to remind myself of how beautiful it was. Needless to say, we were all well fed. Food aside, we got to see the relationship between gauchos and their horses and how skilled those guys are. This was of course, at an estancia--essentially what we call a ranch. I have two videos to post (low video quality) but one is that of a gaucho love dance, and the other is a horse competition where women hang engagement rings on a ribbon on a post and the rider is suppose to grab the ring with a stick--and the one who manages to do so takes the woman's hand in marriage--it was pretty cool and only one of the many other things that they can do on horseback.

Speaking of horses, I got to ride one. I also got to step in its poop. Additionally, we got to listen to some traditional folk music which was really cool. One band that we saw consisted of 2 guys--one on guitar and the other on accordian. At one point, both guys were playing the same guitar but at different parts of the fretboard and created this really sick melody. I also got to a attend a workshop on how to prepare yerba mate--a strong herby tea that is paramount to Argentine society which also has its own set of guidelines for preparation and serving.

I could talk about this stuff for a while, but the bottom line here is that these men are extremely skilled with horses and have a very distinctly proud lifestyle and culture separate from the federal district. It's definitely something worth learning about.

Excerpt of a conversation.

Everyone remembers Dumb & Dumber right? Remember the scene where Jim Carey awkwardly ask the two dudes if they were drinking big gulps, and he just takes-off? Yea, definitely had a similar experience this weekend:
On Friday evening, I decided to go out on the town with some friends for the first time. We all met a little after midnight (they leave and stay out very, very late here) at a night club or boliche about 15 minutes from my apartment. The place was packed with a crowd of about a half American, half Argentine ratio. Well, one of the friends that I was with, participates in a different study program and came with some of her girlfriends--they all go to school in Tennessee. I was introduced to them, but it is this one girl in particular that I more or less had a conversation with.

Now as a preface, I am mainly interested in meeting Argentine girls and such--seeing that I could meet an American girl any day of the week back in...well, America. Additionally, this girl was not very appealing to me, but nonetheless, there we stood and I was going to be a normal human being and initate a basic conversation--it goes somewhat as follows:

Me: "So you are from Tennessee? That's cool. I used to live there, do you like it?"
Dixiechick: (looking around) "Yeah, it's cool I guess."
Me: "Cool...alright. So what do you think of the city so far?"
Dixiechick: (fidgeting with her glass) "Yeah, it's cool--pretty busy."
Me: "Yeah, it's definitely pretty large..." (I awkwardly take a swig of my drink, B.B. King is playing in the background) "Uh...so, you are from the Memphis area...you must like blues?"
Dixiechick: "I love the blues."
Me: "Oh, that's cool bec...." (she looks left and leaves)

Big gulps huh? Well, see ya later!

Who does that? I checked later to make sure I didn't have anything in my teeth or snot on my nose, and of course, I did not. Bottom line here, the only stuck-up person I have met so far is a slightly chunky American girl from the South--go figure.

P.S. As an addendum, I met a really cool Argentine dude that was at the same place that I talked to (en espanol) for an hour or two about the city and stuff.