It Begins!

This blog is slightly outdated now but it is taking me time to write them, type them up and find a reliable internet connection to post. I hope to get myself caught up in the next few days! I will also try to add some pictures once time permits and my connection is sufficient.

1. Bienvenido a Buenos Aires

After a journey of more than 24 hours, I arrived in Buenos Aires last Friday afternoon. I thought that it took me forever to get to Kenya but somehow it took even longer to get to Argentina. It is quite far but I must also blame United Airlines for the length of my journey. My flight to Buenos Aires was delayed in Washington D.C. for more than four hours. I should have known that when they brought out blankets, snacks and drinks we were in for the long haul.

Despite the inevitable flakiness of United Airlines, the rest of the journey went surprisingly well. Upon arriving in Buenos Aires my driver was standing there waiting for me with a smile on his face and my name on his board. We had a short drive to my apartment in the Palermo barrio in Buenos Aires. I was surprised at how organized the highways seemed to be (at least in comparison to Africa) and the number of toll plazas we had to pass through in such a short stretch. When we arrived at my new apartment we had to wait only for a few minutes for the owner to show up with the keys. The apartment is small but adorable and has all of the necessary amenities including cable television – a luxury I don’t even have in Los Angeles! All of this comes at a price that is less than half of my Los Angeles rent. My meager student budget could get used to this place!

2. No entiendo

It did not take long for me to realize the accent in Argentina is much different than anything that I am used to (if you could even say that I am used to any accent when it comes to the Spanish language). Perhaps the most notable difference is in the pronunciation of the double l - in Argentina is has a strange j/ch sound. When ordering a chicken (pollo) empanada on my first night the cashier looked at me like I was from another planet. I had to point to the item on the menu so that he would understand. It will definitely take some getting used to but at least the empanada was delicious!

3. Que Bonita!

School does not start until October 26^th but I am taking a trip to North West Argentina on October 19^th with other students in my program. This left me with a couple of days to recover from jet lag and to explore Buenos Aires before my next adventure. I mostly walked around the city and visited a couple of spots of interest. I must say that the city is everything that I expected and perhaps more – truly the “Paris “of South America. There are charming, tree lined neighborhoods, many complete with cobblestone streets and iron terraces.

On Saturday I took my first ride on the Buenos Aires subway (subte) and I was quite impressed and the price was right at about $0.30 per trip. It is amazing that a city in South America can have effective public transit while Los Angeles continues to be a complete mess. I took the subte to Recoletta and visited the Recoletta cemetery where Evita and other famous (and rich) Argentinean have been laid to rest. In general, I find cemeteries horrifying but this one was quite amazing. I spent nearly an hour just walking around and admiring the strange beauty that the tombs have. I am happy to report that despite what I believe about cemeteries, no ghosts, goblins jumped out at me and my soul is still intact (as far as I know).

Two days was not nearly enough to take in the entire city – I still have a lot of exploring and orienting to do when I get back from my trip. I turn the wrong way almost every time I leave my apartment so I will have to keep a map in my back pocket for the next several weeks until I have it figured out.

4. Me encanta Quilmes

As you might expect, it took me less than 24 hours to find and sample the local beer, Quilmes – I approve. After the cemetery on Saturday afternoon I spent several hours at an expatriate bar in Recoletta with Tommy, one of my UCLA classmates watching college football over several beers. It felt a little strange watching American football in Argentina but the beer was cheap and delicious. UCLA lost and USC won but all things considered it was a quite pleasant afternoon.

5. No quiero viajar solo

I spent most of my first two days in Buenos Aires alone as Nina, my Buenos Aires roommate, was on a short trip to Uruguay when I arrived. Although I enjoyed the two days it became very clear that I am not really cut out to travel alone. It is not nearly as fun to explore when you have nobody to compare notes with – not to mention that it makes for far less interesting stories for blogging! Luckily, Nina arrived back in Buenos Aires on Sunday night – I was relieved and am hopeful that I will have more interesting (and funny) things to write about in future blogs!