Ya empiezan las clases! Todavia estamos en la primera semana de clases y estoy contenta para andar el semestre. Desafortunadamente no he escogido todas mis clases porque la mayoria de ellas no tienen un enfoque de America Latina. Entonces estoy andando con clases que son mas o menos electivas o clases que no quedan en ningunas de mis carerras. Que pena. Pero ya se que mi clase favorita es Sociolinguisitica. La clase es en ingles y el profesor es ingles. Me da risa cuando oi el acento del profe porque americanos les encanta el acento ingles. Y, estoy buscando universidades inglesas en que puedo inscribirme para un masters en TESOL (la ensenanza de english a hablantes de otras idiomas) entonces es por dios que tengo el para ser mi profesor porque puedo hacerle preguntas sobre la linguisitica, inglaterra, y como puedo viajar el mundo como una profesora de ingles/ lengua. que suerte!
Ahora porque estoy andando una clase en ingles? Estoy aca para aprender espanol, cierto? Pues si, pero mi universidad ya no tiene el programa de Linguistica entonces solo una clase en ingles no va a arruniar el espanol que he aprendido. Todo esta bien. Y puedo escuchar el acento ingles dos dias cada semana. Vale la pena.
Sobre mi espanol... necesito hablar mas para mejorarlo. En mi mente tengo todo que necesito para hablar con fluidez en espanol pero no me sale. Creo es porque yo se que estoy capaz de hablar bien espanol pero toma tiempo y solo que oigo es mal espanol entonces no quiero hablar si no es a nivel que quiero. Estoy frustrada con esto pero en serio voy a ser mas involucrada este semestre con voluntariado y pasando mas tiempos con amigos uruguayos. Vamos a ver pero tengo confianza que puede lograrlo porque mi meta numero uno es tener fluidez cuando hablo espanol y no voy a regresar si no es asi.
Ademas los estudiantes internacionales tienen un viaje a Colonia este fin de semana. Ya fui pero estoy emocionada para pasar con tiempo con ellos y es mas o menos gratis con la excepcion que necesitamos pagar para el almuerzo, los museos, los recuerdos, etc.
Bien. Como fue mi espanol? Me di cuenta que hablo de espanol todo el tiempo y estoy en Uruguay pero nunca hablo EN espanol. Entonces aqui esta. Cuando tengo tiempo voy a agregar los acentos porque mi teclado no los tiene. Hasta luego, ches!
---
Classes have started! We're approaching the end of the first week of school and I'm pretty excited about this semester. Unfortunately, I still haven't chosen all my classes the majority of them don't focus on Latin America. So, I'm mostly taking electives that have nothing to do with either of my majors. But this also means I get to take one class that I've always wanted to take-- Sociolinguistics. It's actually taught in English by an English professor. I was smiling so big when I first walked in because us Americans love British Accents. Also, I am currently looking up universities in England where I can pursue a Master's degree in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Others Languages), so it's the work of God that I found myself in his class. Now I have to ask about linguistics, England, and how I can travel as an English/ Language teacher.
Now why am I taking a class in English? I'm here to learn Spanish, right? Well, yeah but my university doesn't have a linguistics program any longer and I've taken an interest in linguistics after I took a linguistics class my sophomore year so it's a great opportunity to take a course I wouldn't otherwise be able to take. And, having just one class in English out of the ten I will take here won't hinder me learning Spanish. Plus, it's worth it if I get to hear an English accent two days a week.
About my Spanish... If I want to continue improving I really need to talk more. I think I've hit kind of a wall with my Spanish that I will have to break through by just speaking up more. In my mind I have everything I need to speak fluently in Spanish it just doesn't come out that way. I think it's because I know I'm capable of speaking Spanish well but fluency takes time and a lot of patience which I don't have right now. All I hear is bad Spanish. I feel like what I say comes out all jumbled up and doesn't convey the deeper thought I had intended. It's just hard to hear the bad Spanish and think I can surpass it to where I don't cringe after hearing myself speak. It frustrates me but I'm seriously trying to get past it by becoming more active through volunteering and spend more time with my Uruguayan friends. My number one goal here is to speak Spanish fluently and I refuse to graduate with a Spanish major and not being able to say I'm fluent.
In other news, the international students have a trip to Colonia coming up this weekend. I've already been, but I'm going this time to get to know the other students. Plus, it's free minus things like lunch, museums, souvenirs, etc.
Alright. How was my Spanish? I realized that I talk about Spanish all the time and I'm in Uruguay, but I never speak IN Spanish. So there it is. When I have time I'll go back and add accents since this keyboard doesn't have them. Later, gators!
August 12, 2010
August 10, 2010
Puerto Rico, Papi!
I said I would talk about Puerto Rico, so here we go. Puerto Rico is niiiiice. It wasn't so nice and wonderful when I realized I missed my flight-- not my fault-- and that there was no tourism booth to help me find accommodations. But thank God Puerto Rico is indeed a US territory so my cell phone worked. My mom ended up booking me a hotel from thousands of miles away and gave me an address which I relayed to a taxi driver who took me safely to a Holiday Inn where I passed out while watching my first American show without subtitles in months.
Ok, let's back up a little. I like to see where things went wrong (or shall I say right?) So, the whole thing can be adverted in the future. Lesson one: Do NOT assume an hour is enough time to get through customs (especially applies when returning to the US). Thanks to the huge flight it took an hour to get through customs, but by then my flight had already left. The kicker is that it actually left early. Now why would it do that? Because I bought my tickets last minute and had to fly on two different airlines. This means I wasn't checked in for my US Airways flight and they assumed I wasn't going to make it so they gave my spot to someone else. Nice. Lesson two: Check-in for your flight before you leave the house. Lesson three: When in trouble, call your Mommy. She will always be there for you.
After the chaos of missing my flight and during the long hours I spent in the airport trying to insure a flight out the next day (can you tell I was a little traumatized?), I was finally able to slow down for a little and eat some Mcdonalds. This is where I fully realized where I was. Puerto Rico. Where they speak Spanish and 80% speak passable English. Before I studied abroad I was working so hard to find a way to avoid grad school yet continue on my career path, but, folks, I could go write a paper on grad school about Puerto Rico. The bilingualism there is beautiful. I'm talking about the cashier was able to speak perfect English AND Spanish as tourists and Puerto Ricans alike came to order at Mcdonalds. No hesitating, no errors, just perfect.
I know it seems like a huge exaggeration on my part, but I have never experienced personally two languages coming together so fluidly. Can I say it was beautiful one more time? I seriously plan to write a paper about it one day. Maybe even my Ph. D. thesis pa-- OK, that's going too far. Let me just get to grad school first.
I wish I had pictures to post in this blog of my overnight vacation but to be honest I was actually in Puerto Rico, as in not in the airport, long enough to get to my hotel and sleep. I was exhausted after an overnight flight from MVD to Panama then from lugging all my luggage around for hours in the airport. It did remind me a lot of Florida though. Especially Miami.
All I have to show for it are a key chain, a pretty post card of some building I never even saw, and a tiny flag. Even still it was the best place to miss a flight and I will be back. Best believe!
August 8, 2010
I'm Back
I officially think in Spanish. I returned the sixth and have been speaking almost non-stop Spanish both inside and outside of the apartment. It's nuts. I was wondering how to start this blog post and immediately started thinking of what I wanted to say in Spanish. It was a 'Whoa' moment.
Going home was worth it. I was burned out a little after exams and it was a welcome break. I didn't do much of anything seeing as how we moved and I didn't know the area nor anybody nearby. But I did visit the mall several times in an attempt to experience American culture in the best way I know how. Other than that I just hung out with my family since I missed them like crazy and visited a few friends.
Actually, I had a lot of problems trying to return to the States then again when flying back to Uruguay. My first flight to the US almost had to make an emergency landing because someone fainted, customs was slow in Puerto Rico and I missed my flight thus having to spend the night, had my flight cancelled in Charlotte on the way back to MVD, experienced bad turbulence on a small plane in a thunderstorm... Basically, my faith has not been restored in airplanes at all and I am thankful that I have to fly two more times this year then I'm done. Ugh.
On another note, I met the new international students the same day I arrived and I absolutely love them. There is a good mix of people and the university has really listened to our suggestions by adding uruguayans to the group in the form of volunteers and interns to help them out. I can tell it has made a world of a difference. Though I admit I feel kind of like an outsider because while I'm an international student I don't really need the help of the International Program anymore or to go on tours around the city. So, I'm mostly just doing the same tours and lunches among international students that I did last year, but more with a purpose to get to know the students and help where I can. I've only been around the group as a whole one time, but I can already tell that the group this year seems to be much tighter than the previous one.
I planned on writing a little more, but I'm falling asleep on my keyboard. Look forward to a blog about Puerto Rico. Dare I say, I might retire there one day. It was perfect.
Going home was worth it. I was burned out a little after exams and it was a welcome break. I didn't do much of anything seeing as how we moved and I didn't know the area nor anybody nearby. But I did visit the mall several times in an attempt to experience American culture in the best way I know how. Other than that I just hung out with my family since I missed them like crazy and visited a few friends.
Actually, I had a lot of problems trying to return to the States then again when flying back to Uruguay. My first flight to the US almost had to make an emergency landing because someone fainted, customs was slow in Puerto Rico and I missed my flight thus having to spend the night, had my flight cancelled in Charlotte on the way back to MVD, experienced bad turbulence on a small plane in a thunderstorm... Basically, my faith has not been restored in airplanes at all and I am thankful that I have to fly two more times this year then I'm done. Ugh.
On another note, I met the new international students the same day I arrived and I absolutely love them. There is a good mix of people and the university has really listened to our suggestions by adding uruguayans to the group in the form of volunteers and interns to help them out. I can tell it has made a world of a difference. Though I admit I feel kind of like an outsider because while I'm an international student I don't really need the help of the International Program anymore or to go on tours around the city. So, I'm mostly just doing the same tours and lunches among international students that I did last year, but more with a purpose to get to know the students and help where I can. I've only been around the group as a whole one time, but I can already tell that the group this year seems to be much tighter than the previous one.
I planned on writing a little more, but I'm falling asleep on my keyboard. Look forward to a blog about Puerto Rico. Dare I say, I might retire there one day. It was perfect.
July 16, 2010
Hello, America
First and foremost, I just want to say that I am so proud of the Uruguayan soccer team in this year's World Cup. I don't think anyone in the country really expected us to get farther than the first round and it was awesome to be there and watch the patriotism grow exponentially with each win. Volveremos a ser campeones, Uruguay!
My birthday was July 6. I bring it up because I wrote about it in my letters for study abroad about how I wanted to experience a real birthday in Spanish. Actually, my birthday was celebrated more the Friday before we a fiestita, or little party, at our apartment then I treated myself to Mcdonald's and the movie Eclipse on my actual birthday as I had an exam that day then the Uruguay game immediately after. It was drawn out a little as I got on a plane two days later on my way to the States and people who looked at my ID would say happy belated birthday to me.
Speaking of being in the States-- it's true! I'm pretty sure I said I wasn't going to return before December but things happened to fall into place at just the right time and I was able to buy a flight around 3 in the afternoon and fly out 12 hours later. Don't ever do that in July. Ugh. It gave me such a headache trying to find a not outrageously priced flight the day of. I have learned from this experience that if you buy a round-trip ticket just stick to it and buy your ticket at least 4 weeks beforehand. Otherwise you will give yourself a headache trying to remember all the jingles from commericials such as Expedia and Hotwire so you can find the cheapest flight possible.
But I'm glad I decided to come back for three weeks. I've been here for a week and have already managed to visit Walmart numerous times, two malls, and ride my bike a few times. I'm living the life. My only regret is that I won't be there when the majority of the new international students arrive but I will barely be there for orientation so I can't feel too bad. I'm just soaking up the sun while I can and trying to absorb almost 5 months of American culture via TV, internet, and friends while I can.
Bringin' it back to Uruguay: I found a blog post about customer service (servicio al cliente) in Uruguay. I only skimmed it, but I agreed with a lot of what it said.
My birthday was July 6. I bring it up because I wrote about it in my letters for study abroad about how I wanted to experience a real birthday in Spanish. Actually, my birthday was celebrated more the Friday before we a fiestita, or little party, at our apartment then I treated myself to Mcdonald's and the movie Eclipse on my actual birthday as I had an exam that day then the Uruguay game immediately after. It was drawn out a little as I got on a plane two days later on my way to the States and people who looked at my ID would say happy belated birthday to me.
Speaking of being in the States-- it's true! I'm pretty sure I said I wasn't going to return before December but things happened to fall into place at just the right time and I was able to buy a flight around 3 in the afternoon and fly out 12 hours later. Don't ever do that in July. Ugh. It gave me such a headache trying to find a not outrageously priced flight the day of. I have learned from this experience that if you buy a round-trip ticket just stick to it and buy your ticket at least 4 weeks beforehand. Otherwise you will give yourself a headache trying to remember all the jingles from commericials such as Expedia and Hotwire so you can find the cheapest flight possible.
But I'm glad I decided to come back for three weeks. I've been here for a week and have already managed to visit Walmart numerous times, two malls, and ride my bike a few times. I'm living the life. My only regret is that I won't be there when the majority of the new international students arrive but I will barely be there for orientation so I can't feel too bad. I'm just soaking up the sun while I can and trying to absorb almost 5 months of American culture via TV, internet, and friends while I can.
Bringin' it back to Uruguay: I found a blog post about customer service (servicio al cliente) in Uruguay. I only skimmed it, but I agreed with a lot of what it said.
June 30, 2010
I'm going to be here foreverrr (Review)
It's that time again, folks-- Review time! I'm four months down with six months to go. So, how are things?
My Spanish has improved by leaps and bounds though I feel I've reached a plateau lately in the speaking area. I'm not in the mode of surviving anymore, so I know how to say everything I need to say and I know where to buy the basics and how the Bristish Hospital works in case of emergency... Basically, my everyday life isn't new anymore and I need to get out there more to keep improving my Spanish and stop being true to my introverted nature.
I just say I live here now. Ten months is almost a year and when you stay in one place for that long you pretty much live there. Plus I'm in a weird situation where my family moved while I was here so I don't even know what my real house looks like in person and probably couldn't even find it on a map. I...I think I just had an identity crisis.
Food wise ferias and the internet are my best friend. I buy my fruits and veggies from the feria then type in that I want to make chicken and that I have these ingredients into google and it spits out millions of recipes. I just find an easy recipe that works in our tiny kitchen and viola yummy chicken. That's Chef Casey to you thank you very much.
The homesickness thing has come and gone. It helps that I'm trying to limit my facebook time and only talk to my family once a week on Skype, but I still miss it, of course. I'm just trying to focus on getting to know this country so I can forget about missing my own. I loved seeing the US crowd during the World Cup matches though.
And traveling around has made me realize that I want to travel everywhere. Everytime someone mentions some new place I just add it to my list. Consecuently I've been looking more into TESL jobs so I can find a way to make enough money to travel the way I want while thinking about student loans. It's definitely possible, but it means graduate school and me will unfortunately be seeing each other at some point and it's the reason I'm trying harder to get a TESL volunteer job. Experience can go a long way in that field it seems. But first things first, I need to work on speaking more and milk this opportunity for everything it's worth so I can have a solid foundation for my future career.
How awesome was that last paragraph? I just linked this study abroad experience to my future job. Mom, I deserve to have cookies shipped to me or something. I is growed up!
Last but not least, I have added pictures and videos where I deemed necessary in all my posts and have even edited the posts since the last review. That was my past week right there, folks. Enjoy.
My Spanish has improved by leaps and bounds though I feel I've reached a plateau lately in the speaking area. I'm not in the mode of surviving anymore, so I know how to say everything I need to say and I know where to buy the basics and how the Bristish Hospital works in case of emergency... Basically, my everyday life isn't new anymore and I need to get out there more to keep improving my Spanish and stop being true to my introverted nature.
I just say I live here now. Ten months is almost a year and when you stay in one place for that long you pretty much live there. Plus I'm in a weird situation where my family moved while I was here so I don't even know what my real house looks like in person and probably couldn't even find it on a map. I...I think I just had an identity crisis.
Food wise ferias and the internet are my best friend. I buy my fruits and veggies from the feria then type in that I want to make chicken and that I have these ingredients into google and it spits out millions of recipes. I just find an easy recipe that works in our tiny kitchen and viola yummy chicken. That's Chef Casey to you thank you very much.
The homesickness thing has come and gone. It helps that I'm trying to limit my facebook time and only talk to my family once a week on Skype, but I still miss it, of course. I'm just trying to focus on getting to know this country so I can forget about missing my own. I loved seeing the US crowd during the World Cup matches though.
And traveling around has made me realize that I want to travel everywhere. Everytime someone mentions some new place I just add it to my list. Consecuently I've been looking more into TESL jobs so I can find a way to make enough money to travel the way I want while thinking about student loans. It's definitely possible, but it means graduate school and me will unfortunately be seeing each other at some point and it's the reason I'm trying harder to get a TESL volunteer job. Experience can go a long way in that field it seems. But first things first, I need to work on speaking more and milk this opportunity for everything it's worth so I can have a solid foundation for my future career.
How awesome was that last paragraph? I just linked this study abroad experience to my future job. Mom, I deserve to have cookies shipped to me or something. I is growed up!
Last but not least, I have added pictures and videos where I deemed necessary in all my posts and have even edited the posts since the last review. That was my past week right there, folks. Enjoy.
June 27, 2010
La Mundial
I woke up in one of the best ways the other day. It was to all the apartments surrounding my patio-room shouting Gooooooool! followed by firecrackers and more muffled shouting. Turns out Uruguay had just scored in the first few minutes of their game with Corea del Sur and I rushed out my room to the nearest T.V. Then as I'm glued to the tube waving my huge Uruguay flag around for no one to see I realized how atypical is the situation I am currently in. I've been alive for several World Cups, or Mundials, and couldn't even attempt to answer a multiple choice test on what happened in them. I think this phenomenon is largely due to being in a country that is quite the opposite of apathetic when it comes to fútbol and knowing exactly what it means if Uruguay were to win this year's Mundial.
Did you know Uruguay hosted the first Mundial in 1930? The stadium where the game
was played is actually located here in Montevideo next to my school in Parque Battle. One of the main reasons it was chosen to be held in Uruguay is because 1930 is also the same year that it celebrated 100 years of independence. The event then solidified itself in this country's history as Uruguay won the very first Mundial against Argentina 4-2. Go, Uruguay! For more info visit the Wikipedia page.
So, what would it mean if Uruguay won the Mundial? First off, it would mean that Argentina didn't win. Yes! Also, Uruguay tends to be a pessimistic nation and after taking a history class on the beginnings of this gaucho nation they have every right to be. They are between two big giants Argentina and Brazil who used to be ruled by the powerful Spain and Portugual. Together the nations warred with Uruguay and even the nation's hero at the time Artigas eventually fled the country for Paraguay after Portugal's second invasion ruined any progress that was being made in Uruguay. Then
sometime in the 1900s there was a huge economic crisis made worse by a fellow uruguayan family who stole money from the banks and put them into foreign accounts. So, Uruguay winning a Mundial would be a well needed boost to the nation's ego and it would show those Argentinians and Brazilians that we are a force to be reckoned with... on the football field!
Back to my story above, I then went to 18 de Julio to celebrate with my fellow Montevideans while waving my Uruguayan flag and joining in the chants. Even though it was Sunday cars lined the street and everyone was cheering, honking horns, and showing off anything light blue that they owned. Ok, less talking, more showing.
Post game traffic
Soy Celeste
Lyrics:
olé olé olé, olé olé olé ola
cada día te quiero más
oooooh, soy celeste
Uruguay
And because I hate being silent during the games due to not knowing any fútbol vocabulary I learned some words and thanks to Lorenia Lorenia shouting at the T.V. I also know a lot of cuss words to say. Most of which include the F-word, B-word, and talking about people's mothers. Love it. Here's a short list of a few of the terms:
Soccer player: futbolista
Coach: entrenador
Field: cancha
Score a goal: hacer un gol
Out (of bounds): afuera
Yellow/ Red: tarjeta amarilla/roja
Hopefully, Uruguay will keep progressing in this year's Mundial and I will be able to post a lot more blogs about it. We shall see. Vamos arriba, Uruguay!
Did you know Uruguay hosted the first Mundial in 1930? The stadium where the game
was played is actually located here in Montevideo next to my school in Parque Battle. One of the main reasons it was chosen to be held in Uruguay is because 1930 is also the same year that it celebrated 100 years of independence. The event then solidified itself in this country's history as Uruguay won the very first Mundial against Argentina 4-2. Go, Uruguay! For more info visit the Wikipedia page. So, what would it mean if Uruguay won the Mundial? First off, it would mean that Argentina didn't win. Yes! Also, Uruguay tends to be a pessimistic nation and after taking a history class on the beginnings of this gaucho nation they have every right to be. They are between two big giants Argentina and Brazil who used to be ruled by the powerful Spain and Portugual. Together the nations warred with Uruguay and even the nation's hero at the time Artigas eventually fled the country for Paraguay after Portugal's second invasion ruined any progress that was being made in Uruguay. Then
sometime in the 1900s there was a huge economic crisis made worse by a fellow uruguayan family who stole money from the banks and put them into foreign accounts. So, Uruguay winning a Mundial would be a well needed boost to the nation's ego and it would show those Argentinians and Brazilians that we are a force to be reckoned with... on the football field! Back to my story above, I then went to 18 de Julio to celebrate with my fellow Montevideans while waving my Uruguayan flag and joining in the chants. Even though it was Sunday cars lined the street and everyone was cheering, honking horns, and showing off anything light blue that they owned. Ok, less talking, more showing.
Post game traffic
Soy Celeste
Lyrics:
olé olé olé, olé olé olé ola
cada día te quiero más
oooooh, soy celeste
Uruguay
And because I hate being silent during the games due to not knowing any fútbol vocabulary I learned some words and thanks to Lorenia Lorenia shouting at the T.V. I also know a lot of cuss words to say. Most of which include the F-word, B-word, and talking about people's mothers. Love it. Here's a short list of a few of the terms:
Soccer player: futbolista
Coach: entrenador
Field: cancha
Score a goal: hacer un gol
Out (of bounds): afuera
Yellow/ Red: tarjeta amarilla/roja
Hopefully, Uruguay will keep progressing in this year's Mundial and I will be able to post a lot more blogs about it. We shall see. Vamos arriba, Uruguay!
June 21, 2010
First day of Winter
And if today is not the first day of winter then don´t read this post until it is. Google is extremely northern hemispherically biased. Today is the coldest day by far that I´ve experienced here in MVD. I was actually using the computer earlier with gloves on and the radiator scooted as close to me as I dared. I am seriously glad I dropped all that money on a thicker jacket in BA because I sure needed it. Air conditioning I can live without but central heating? I´m worried about making it through July. Brr
Actually, I just might make it through July since I plan on going north for a few weeks. Professor willing, my one exam is the middle of July will be pushed earlier or later in July and I can get some solid traveling in. My plans are Mendoza (Argentina), Santiago (Chile), and Cusco (Perú). I had added Bolivia to my trip until I realized it was the only country that I would have to pay enter ($135 USD) and also that with the way I travel it might take 3 weeks just to get there. But it might still happen if can find a way to live more cheaply and hopefully crash on some couches the whole way.
I´m trying not to plan anything because this is Latin America we´re talking about. I have heard all kinds of stories of delays, cancellations, and problems with tickets that I´m just going to take it a few days at a time. I have my new traveler's backpack and the right attitude about it, so I'm excited.
In other news, I wore my hair was out in the biggest afro I dared to wear out in public today and I found the response to be amusing as it always is. I got a lot blantant staring and it made me smile. The best response I've ever recieved though was from the tour guide in Ushuaia. He related me to the Jackson Five then handled my hair like it was the eighth wonder of the world when I said he could touch it.
I think one of my new goals will be to make sure I wear my hair out like this in every country I visit and gauge the reaction of the people. So, I keep making reference to this goal list I have for South America, but never actually write it down. Here it is... as I can remember it:
Goals:
1) Be fluent in Spanish
2) Don't get robbed
3) Visit 10 out of the 13 countries in S.A.
4) Couchsurf
5) Wear a big 'fro in every country I visit and gauge reactions
BTW, I made up a word in this post. I´m sure you found it.
How to be Uruguayan: Instead of saying "está bien" just say "´ta".
Actually, I just might make it through July since I plan on going north for a few weeks. Professor willing, my one exam is the middle of July will be pushed earlier or later in July and I can get some solid traveling in. My plans are Mendoza (Argentina), Santiago (Chile), and Cusco (Perú). I had added Bolivia to my trip until I realized it was the only country that I would have to pay enter ($135 USD) and also that with the way I travel it might take 3 weeks just to get there. But it might still happen if can find a way to live more cheaply and hopefully crash on some couches the whole way.
I´m trying not to plan anything because this is Latin America we´re talking about. I have heard all kinds of stories of delays, cancellations, and problems with tickets that I´m just going to take it a few days at a time. I have my new traveler's backpack and the right attitude about it, so I'm excited.
In other news, I wore my hair was out in the biggest afro I dared to wear out in public today and I found the response to be amusing as it always is. I got a lot blantant staring and it made me smile. The best response I've ever recieved though was from the tour guide in Ushuaia. He related me to the Jackson Five then handled my hair like it was the eighth wonder of the world when I said he could touch it.
I think one of my new goals will be to make sure I wear my hair out like this in every country I visit and gauge the reaction of the people. So, I keep making reference to this goal list I have for South America, but never actually write it down. Here it is... as I can remember it:
Goals:
1) Be fluent in Spanish
2) Don't get robbed
3) Visit 10 out of the 13 countries in S.A.
4) Couchsurf
5) Wear a big 'fro in every country I visit and gauge reactions
BTW, I made up a word in this post. I´m sure you found it.
How to be Uruguayan: Instead of saying "está bien" just say "´ta".
June 19, 2010
Ahh, Buenos Aires 2
Oh, Buenos Aires. A week later I still miss the place and look forward to going back and doing all the things I didn´t get to do. *daydream*
Ok, so less about what I did in B.A. and more about it. I´m going to start this blog post off with safety in this big city, and well any big city, because I think it´s definitely something to know and very real that your chances of being robbed, pickpocketed, etc. are likely.
I can´t tell you how many I know that have gone to Buenos Aires and came back with a story about how they were robbed, lost something, tricked, etc. It happens. So, why have I been to Buenos Aires twice and nothing has happened to me when I scream tourist, am a women, and tiny at that? Because I learned from a wise friend how to visit Buenos Aires and return with everything you came with and not paying more than you should. I´m sure I´ve talked about what happened to her in this city, but it deserves repeating. Rachel was walking through a park between two museums off very little sleep. So, she had everything in her camera case (money, camera, passport) and was not fully alert to prevent what was about to happen to her. It is common for people to rig things that will fall on your or throw things on you to make you flustered and lose your sense of awareness. In those few seconds where you´re wondering what happened they are stealing everything on you that they can reach as they pretend to help you out. Rachel had "bird poop" fall on her via a device rigged to a tree and while she was looking to see what happened two people approached her pretending to be great samaritans and stole her passport and expensive camera. Ouch. She was on her way to Mendoza, so immediately she was stuck in Buenos Aires going to the US embassy to get an emergency passport and she still hasn´t replaced that expensive camera.
So, how to avoid this?
First off, protect your passport! ALWAYS lock it up (even if you´re all buddy buddy with your new hostel friends) when you aren´t willing to carry it on you. Then I think one of the best inventions for travelers is the pouch you wear under your shirt or under a jacket. It easily holds passports, money, and important paperwork (folded) and should contour to your body so no one even knows you´re wearing it. When I am in the midst of traveling I never take it off since I sleep very easily on buses and on airplanes I´m more worried about dying than if someone is reaching for my purse and not the cup they just dropped. Protect the passport, ladies and gentleman. It works better than a license, school id, credit card, ISIC card, bus ticket with your name on it, etc. and in the case that it is stolen head for the embassy and be aware you might have to file a police report first.
Second, spread your things out. I usually use the pockets I have on the front of me to put things in, so I will put money in one pocket and my camera in another. Being mindful of pickpockets, though, I try to wear tighter jeans and I wrap the string of my camera around my belt loop once. I, also, have a jacket that has zippers on the pockets so I will use those as well. And being a proud new owner of a traveler´s backpack don´t keep important things in the outside pockets but in hidden pockets (usually on the inside with zippers) and between other things like pairs of pants.
Third, be paranoid and keep checking to make sure you have everything... but be subtle about it. I would casually make sure I had everything as I was reaching in my purse for my wallet at Mcdonalds and patting my pockets while waiting for a light to turn.
Fourth, don´t make it easy for them. Examples: I keep my hand on my purse at all times. If I feel like someone behind me has been by my purse or my backpack too long I shift to the other side. With my smaller backpack I would use my two small locks and keep the two compartments closed at all times.
Fifth, even if you don´t know what you´re doing or where you are look like you do. Confidence is a huge crime deterrent. Go into a super market, Mcdonalds, or some place that seems safe to ask people questions and pull out your map.
Sixth, trust people when they say a certain area is safe or not. This one I say with a condition. If you´re a traveller who is there for a few days then please follow their advice. If you´re like me and you´re living there and people say not to go to Cuidad Vieja then, I can ignore them. Hah, I probably shouldn´t but I think I know how to handle myself and I never take anything with me I wouldn´t mind losing or that isn´t easily replaceable. And my pepper spray (thanks, dad).
Those are just some of the big things I think people know to do so your awesome trip to the big city won´t be spoiled. And, by the way one of my goals while I´m here is not to get robbed and it´s still alive!
Other things about Buenos Aires are that there is a neat arts and crafts fair on Defensa which is partly made of cobblestone which I always love. I didn´t have time
to walk the whole street but it seems like it covers a great deal of it and some side streets as well. It is tourist central! I heard some languages being spoken and saw a lot of North Face jackets. The fair has lots of painting, jewelery, antique pieces, and a few shows such as tango, a guy with a doll with the strings attached (I forgot what this was called-- marinette?), and I saw a guy who painted himself and his costume white and stood still like a statue.
Riding the subway or the subte was fun. Usually maps have the routes marked in different colors that match the colors in the subway so you can figure out which train to take and where it goes. Despite how many times I wondered around aimlessly it is a pretty straightforward system and even when you get on the bus there is a little map telling you all the stops in both directions so you can figure out if you got on going the right way or not.
Buenos Aires is also called the Paris of South America. I cracked up at this when I read it and had to read the reason why because Paris didn´t cross my mind a single time when I was in B.A. They actually say that because there is a big French ifluence in the city which can been seen through the architecture and pasta restuarants. The closest thing they have to the eiffel tower is the Oblesico which I will see next time I go and instead of burets the most popular hat at the moment seems to be the gaudy blue and white hats to support Argentina in the World Cup. Paris, indeed. Haha I´m making fun of it but I read about this after I went to the big city, so of course I didn´t notice it.
Also, while researching for a paper yesterday I came across another blog that talked about Argentinan bus tickets.
Buenos Aires, te extraño! I´ll probably be back around my birthday in July though on my way to Mendoza then to Chile, but that´s another post for another time. I´m off to walk 8 de Octubre and hopefully buy a Uruguayan Flag and whatever else I feel like I need for the next Uruguay game. Dale, campeon!
Ok, so less about what I did in B.A. and more about it. I´m going to start this blog post off with safety in this big city, and well any big city, because I think it´s definitely something to know and very real that your chances of being robbed, pickpocketed, etc. are likely.
I can´t tell you how many I know that have gone to Buenos Aires and came back with a story about how they were robbed, lost something, tricked, etc. It happens. So, why have I been to Buenos Aires twice and nothing has happened to me when I scream tourist, am a women, and tiny at that? Because I learned from a wise friend how to visit Buenos Aires and return with everything you came with and not paying more than you should. I´m sure I´ve talked about what happened to her in this city, but it deserves repeating. Rachel was walking through a park between two museums off very little sleep. So, she had everything in her camera case (money, camera, passport) and was not fully alert to prevent what was about to happen to her. It is common for people to rig things that will fall on your or throw things on you to make you flustered and lose your sense of awareness. In those few seconds where you´re wondering what happened they are stealing everything on you that they can reach as they pretend to help you out. Rachel had "bird poop" fall on her via a device rigged to a tree and while she was looking to see what happened two people approached her pretending to be great samaritans and stole her passport and expensive camera. Ouch. She was on her way to Mendoza, so immediately she was stuck in Buenos Aires going to the US embassy to get an emergency passport and she still hasn´t replaced that expensive camera.
So, how to avoid this?
First off, protect your passport! ALWAYS lock it up (even if you´re all buddy buddy with your new hostel friends) when you aren´t willing to carry it on you. Then I think one of the best inventions for travelers is the pouch you wear under your shirt or under a jacket. It easily holds passports, money, and important paperwork (folded) and should contour to your body so no one even knows you´re wearing it. When I am in the midst of traveling I never take it off since I sleep very easily on buses and on airplanes I´m more worried about dying than if someone is reaching for my purse and not the cup they just dropped. Protect the passport, ladies and gentleman. It works better than a license, school id, credit card, ISIC card, bus ticket with your name on it, etc. and in the case that it is stolen head for the embassy and be aware you might have to file a police report first.
Second, spread your things out. I usually use the pockets I have on the front of me to put things in, so I will put money in one pocket and my camera in another. Being mindful of pickpockets, though, I try to wear tighter jeans and I wrap the string of my camera around my belt loop once. I, also, have a jacket that has zippers on the pockets so I will use those as well. And being a proud new owner of a traveler´s backpack don´t keep important things in the outside pockets but in hidden pockets (usually on the inside with zippers) and between other things like pairs of pants.
Third, be paranoid and keep checking to make sure you have everything... but be subtle about it. I would casually make sure I had everything as I was reaching in my purse for my wallet at Mcdonalds and patting my pockets while waiting for a light to turn.
Fourth, don´t make it easy for them. Examples: I keep my hand on my purse at all times. If I feel like someone behind me has been by my purse or my backpack too long I shift to the other side. With my smaller backpack I would use my two small locks and keep the two compartments closed at all times.
Fifth, even if you don´t know what you´re doing or where you are look like you do. Confidence is a huge crime deterrent. Go into a super market, Mcdonalds, or some place that seems safe to ask people questions and pull out your map.
Sixth, trust people when they say a certain area is safe or not. This one I say with a condition. If you´re a traveller who is there for a few days then please follow their advice. If you´re like me and you´re living there and people say not to go to Cuidad Vieja then, I can ignore them. Hah, I probably shouldn´t but I think I know how to handle myself and I never take anything with me I wouldn´t mind losing or that isn´t easily replaceable. And my pepper spray (thanks, dad).
Those are just some of the big things I think people know to do so your awesome trip to the big city won´t be spoiled. And, by the way one of my goals while I´m here is not to get robbed and it´s still alive!
Other things about Buenos Aires are that there is a neat arts and crafts fair on Defensa which is partly made of cobblestone which I always love. I didn´t have time
to walk the whole street but it seems like it covers a great deal of it and some side streets as well. It is tourist central! I heard some languages being spoken and saw a lot of North Face jackets. The fair has lots of painting, jewelery, antique pieces, and a few shows such as tango, a guy with a doll with the strings attached (I forgot what this was called-- marinette?), and I saw a guy who painted himself and his costume white and stood still like a statue.Riding the subway or the subte was fun. Usually maps have the routes marked in different colors that match the colors in the subway so you can figure out which train to take and where it goes. Despite how many times I wondered around aimlessly it is a pretty straightforward system and even when you get on the bus there is a little map telling you all the stops in both directions so you can figure out if you got on going the right way or not.
Buenos Aires is also called the Paris of South America. I cracked up at this when I read it and had to read the reason why because Paris didn´t cross my mind a single time when I was in B.A. They actually say that because there is a big French ifluence in the city which can been seen through the architecture and pasta restuarants. The closest thing they have to the eiffel tower is the Oblesico which I will see next time I go and instead of burets the most popular hat at the moment seems to be the gaudy blue and white hats to support Argentina in the World Cup. Paris, indeed. Haha I´m making fun of it but I read about this after I went to the big city, so of course I didn´t notice it.
Also, while researching for a paper yesterday I came across another blog that talked about Argentinan bus tickets.
Buenos Aires, te extraño! I´ll probably be back around my birthday in July though on my way to Mendoza then to Chile, but that´s another post for another time. I´m off to walk 8 de Octubre and hopefully buy a Uruguayan Flag and whatever else I feel like I need for the next Uruguay game. Dale, campeon!
June 14, 2010
Ahhh, Buenos Aires
The first time I saw Buenos Aires (as a pit stop to Ushuaia, then on the way back to MVD) I wasn't very impressed. In fact, I was overwhelmed, nervous, and very naïve. Then again, I had only been in South America for a month when I hit up the B.A with my friend Rachel, so it was perfectly natural to feel the way I did. This time, though, it was just me using the Spanish skills I´ve learned thus far and my paranoia. Haha I´ll explain this one later.
My trip actually didn´t start off very well. I had packed everything the night before and had enough left over Argentinan pesos from my other trip to bring with me, but no matter how prepared I was, I was not prepared to leave wide awake at 5:30 in the morning. This meant I was in no shape to double check my passport to make sure the slip of paper inside of it which contained my entrance stamp for Uruguay was still in there. Huge mistake. I took a bus/boat combination to Colonia and when I had to present my passport to immigration in order to get on the boat for Argentina... I didn´t have it. This is where all of the episodes of Locked Up Abroad that I've watched came back to haunt me. As soon as the lady realized I had no evidence proving I was a study abroad student and legally in the country, she demanded to know what I was doing in Uruguay and why in the world I didn't have my stamp. I´m not going to lie... I did get a little teary eyed as she made me look through all of my stuff and made me hang up my phone as I tried to call someone in my apartment to see if I had left it somewhere (like that would have done any good). But the lady was reluctantly nice to me after watching me having a badly contained almost panic attack in the middle of immigration and let me pass with a stern look. Lesson learned!
I didn´t do too much in B.A. because I was actually leaving to renew my 90 day tourist permit and could only stay the weekend. This is called a border run, my friends. I did manage to do a few fun things, however.
The first day I arrived to a rainstorm and a quiet city. Buenos Aires a quiet big city? Nahhhh. I actually arrived right in the middle of the Argentina vs. Nigeria game. There were tons of empty resturants and full pubs/bars as people watched the game and it was actually kind of cool to walk through the city that way. I then arrived at one of the best hostels I´ve ever stayed in, Carlos Gardel, and headed out to find a cheap lunch. According to my guide book Calle Florida was a great place to grab something to eat and indeed it was. Calle Florida is a nice, long pedestrian street that is full of resturants and all kinds of shopping. My orginal goal when I arrived to Buenos Aires was to buy a big coat and a backpack and I definitely could have done so within the first few hours of arriving to B.A. after walking this street. It goes for blocks and being a Sunday it was flooded with people and even more so after the fútbol game ended. I ended up just grabbing some Mcdonalds and walking to a fancy mall called Galeria Pacífico where I had fun listening to the baristas of Starbucks try to call out my name and sat down in the middle of the food court cheering on the USA in their game against England. The mall wasn´t really my style because it had expensive designers like Dior, but it did have a museum that I´m not sure I was suppose to pay to see, but no one said anything to me.
The second day there I had all day to try to find a backpack and a jacket, so I set off just before the Australia game for a shopping center the girl at the hostel told me about called Abasto Shopping. Loved it. I had to take the subway and definitely spent a good while looking for the entrance on the right side of the street which
was conveniently located in the middle of a park. Then I had to pull my map out several times to make sure I was going the right way and that I knew how to transfer trains and then which direction the next train needed to go in. It was confusing and I looked like such a tourist but I made it without asking a single person. As soon as I stepped out of the subway on the other side Abasto Shopping was right in front of me. So, I spent the next few hours trying on jackets and travelers backpacks making sure I would be content with my purchases. The guy at the first shop I went too was actually really frustrated that I was taking up so much of his time and when I went back the third time to buy the backpack I knew he and another of his coworkers were betting if I would buy anything from the store. It was annoying at first, but honestly, I had taken up a lot of his time and I probably would've done the same thing if roles were reverse, though, I would have been more subtle about it.
So, I bought my things and headed to the biggest food court I have ever seen in my life to go on another adventure via the subway. By the way, the food court had tons
of restaurants lining both sides of the space which included an Arabian restaurant, McDonalds Kosher, a sushi restaurant, two sit down restaurants in the middle of the food court, among plenty of others. I was so happy to be there it made not being able to find a seat for over 15 minutes of walking around and having to eat while standing seem not as bad. It was still bad though after all the walking I had done and would do that day. Ooouch.
The next day I had to leave at 2pm so I tried to wake up early and see at least two more things. I actually woke up two hours later and got hung up watching the Denmark
game and got to see one of them-- el Caminito. I´m really glad I chose that as my one thing to see. It´s basically a block of houses and restaurants that were painted by a famous artist some years ago. It´s a huge tourist trap but it was worth it to see this part of B.A. that you find all over post cards and to just take your time to look at how colorful it is. And when I saw a famous artist painted the houses, I mean solid colors. No huge murals or abstract paintings cover the buildings. Just bright colors. It is unique though and actually was somewhat near the boat terminal I had to walk to, so it worked out.
My overall impression of Buenos Aires is that it was awesome! There were so many things I didn´t get a chance to do and will definitely have to do next time when I will hopefully have more time to meander. It almost makes me wish I was in B.A. instead of Montevideo, but I´d never get anything done because there is just so much to do.
Did you think I could say everything I wanted to about B.A. in one post? I think not. This one is long enough already, but I´ll write another one to cover what I missed.
And notice how I marked my days by fútbol games? I´m not a soccer person at all but put me in a continent where it is a big deal and in a hostel where the games are always on and people are talking smack then I´ll watch a little.
My trip actually didn´t start off very well. I had packed everything the night before and had enough left over Argentinan pesos from my other trip to bring with me, but no matter how prepared I was, I was not prepared to leave wide awake at 5:30 in the morning. This meant I was in no shape to double check my passport to make sure the slip of paper inside of it which contained my entrance stamp for Uruguay was still in there. Huge mistake. I took a bus/boat combination to Colonia and when I had to present my passport to immigration in order to get on the boat for Argentina... I didn´t have it. This is where all of the episodes of Locked Up Abroad that I've watched came back to haunt me. As soon as the lady realized I had no evidence proving I was a study abroad student and legally in the country, she demanded to know what I was doing in Uruguay and why in the world I didn't have my stamp. I´m not going to lie... I did get a little teary eyed as she made me look through all of my stuff and made me hang up my phone as I tried to call someone in my apartment to see if I had left it somewhere (like that would have done any good). But the lady was reluctantly nice to me after watching me having a badly contained almost panic attack in the middle of immigration and let me pass with a stern look. Lesson learned!
I didn´t do too much in B.A. because I was actually leaving to renew my 90 day tourist permit and could only stay the weekend. This is called a border run, my friends. I did manage to do a few fun things, however.
The first day I arrived to a rainstorm and a quiet city. Buenos Aires a quiet big city? Nahhhh. I actually arrived right in the middle of the Argentina vs. Nigeria game. There were tons of empty resturants and full pubs/bars as people watched the game and it was actually kind of cool to walk through the city that way. I then arrived at one of the best hostels I´ve ever stayed in, Carlos Gardel, and headed out to find a cheap lunch. According to my guide book Calle Florida was a great place to grab something to eat and indeed it was. Calle Florida is a nice, long pedestrian street that is full of resturants and all kinds of shopping. My orginal goal when I arrived to Buenos Aires was to buy a big coat and a backpack and I definitely could have done so within the first few hours of arriving to B.A. after walking this street. It goes for blocks and being a Sunday it was flooded with people and even more so after the fútbol game ended. I ended up just grabbing some Mcdonalds and walking to a fancy mall called Galeria Pacífico where I had fun listening to the baristas of Starbucks try to call out my name and sat down in the middle of the food court cheering on the USA in their game against England. The mall wasn´t really my style because it had expensive designers like Dior, but it did have a museum that I´m not sure I was suppose to pay to see, but no one said anything to me.
The second day there I had all day to try to find a backpack and a jacket, so I set off just before the Australia game for a shopping center the girl at the hostel told me about called Abasto Shopping. Loved it. I had to take the subway and definitely spent a good while looking for the entrance on the right side of the street which
was conveniently located in the middle of a park. Then I had to pull my map out several times to make sure I was going the right way and that I knew how to transfer trains and then which direction the next train needed to go in. It was confusing and I looked like such a tourist but I made it without asking a single person. As soon as I stepped out of the subway on the other side Abasto Shopping was right in front of me. So, I spent the next few hours trying on jackets and travelers backpacks making sure I would be content with my purchases. The guy at the first shop I went too was actually really frustrated that I was taking up so much of his time and when I went back the third time to buy the backpack I knew he and another of his coworkers were betting if I would buy anything from the store. It was annoying at first, but honestly, I had taken up a lot of his time and I probably would've done the same thing if roles were reverse, though, I would have been more subtle about it.So, I bought my things and headed to the biggest food court I have ever seen in my life to go on another adventure via the subway. By the way, the food court had tons
of restaurants lining both sides of the space which included an Arabian restaurant, McDonalds Kosher, a sushi restaurant, two sit down restaurants in the middle of the food court, among plenty of others. I was so happy to be there it made not being able to find a seat for over 15 minutes of walking around and having to eat while standing seem not as bad. It was still bad though after all the walking I had done and would do that day. Ooouch.The next day I had to leave at 2pm so I tried to wake up early and see at least two more things. I actually woke up two hours later and got hung up watching the Denmark
game and got to see one of them-- el Caminito. I´m really glad I chose that as my one thing to see. It´s basically a block of houses and restaurants that were painted by a famous artist some years ago. It´s a huge tourist trap but it was worth it to see this part of B.A. that you find all over post cards and to just take your time to look at how colorful it is. And when I saw a famous artist painted the houses, I mean solid colors. No huge murals or abstract paintings cover the buildings. Just bright colors. It is unique though and actually was somewhat near the boat terminal I had to walk to, so it worked out.My overall impression of Buenos Aires is that it was awesome! There were so many things I didn´t get a chance to do and will definitely have to do next time when I will hopefully have more time to meander. It almost makes me wish I was in B.A. instead of Montevideo, but I´d never get anything done because there is just so much to do.
Did you think I could say everything I wanted to about B.A. in one post? I think not. This one is long enough already, but I´ll write another one to cover what I missed.
And notice how I marked my days by fútbol games? I´m not a soccer person at all but put me in a continent where it is a big deal and in a hostel where the games are always on and people are talking smack then I´ll watch a little.
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