La Playa en Punta del Este

25 de febrero

Last night we got back from Punta del Este, a beach town in Uruguay. It was a short, but very fun trip. We took the buquebus, an hour long ferry boat ride and then two two-hour long bus rides. Nothing out of the ordinary, aside from the man sitting behind us who was snoring louder than I had ever thought humanly possible, not to mention making some pretty awful smells. The guy sitting next to me on the bus didn’t know any English, but loved American music. This is something very common here. A lot of people I have met LOVE American rock music. Linkin Park, Guns N' Roses, and Jimi Hendrix are just a few which seem to have drawn many argentine fans. Some of the bands/singers they ask me about I don’t even recognize, and then I think they decide I am lying, and not really from the US. But anyways, the man on the bus was very excited I spoke English, because he wanted me to translate several of his favorite Linkin Park songs.

A view from inside the bus:



By the time we arrived in Punta del Este, Emily and I were starving. We went to the first restaurant we saw and ordered an unknown dish off the menu called chovizno, a famous dish in Uruguay. What the waiter brought us took a love of meat to an entirely new level. It was an enormous plate of steak, piled high with ham, bacon, mayonaise and fried eggs. Not to mention a heaping mound of french fries. It was a scary sight, and we devoured it quickly.



The next day we spent at the beach, which was lovely. The weather was strange, and changed from sunny and beautiful to a monsoon a couple of times, but we just switched between laying on the beach and hanging out in a café. Unfortunately I did not wear sunscreen and acquired a lobster-like appearance just in time to meet everyone on my program.



Here is a picture of me lodged in a statue at the beach called "los dedos" (the fingers):



That night we met three guys from Israel and had a very fun time playing a card game they taught us called Yaniv (and I won!) and going out dancing later. We didn't get back to Buenos Aires until around midnight, and were getting into bed when our Argentine friends from earlier in the week called to inform they were outside the hotel and ready to go out. They are not lying when they say that Argentina never sleeps.

This is Emily and me at a bar in Buenos Aires with our Argentine and Brazilian friends:

¡Bienvenidas a Buenos Aires! Mis impresiones primeras

I knew I was on another continent when upon my arrival, I asked an elderly man for directions. After responding to my question, he proceeded to grab my nose and give it a gentle shake. Right away I knew that I would love the porteños. The people here have been friendly, gracious and lively. Let’s just say that Emily and have more than a few questions, and everyone has extremely helpful in giving us directions, helping us use the phones in los locutorios, fixing our doorknob when I accidentally pulled it out of the hotel door, recommending restaurants and explaining menus. Yesterday it was pouring rain, and a man who works at our hotel told me that I should roll up my pants so they wouldn't get wet. When I folded them up to my knees (not realizing I had just committed a fashion sin in Buenos Aires) he said “no, no, siéntate” and proceeded to sit me down on the lobby couch and roll my pants for me in a much more fashion-savvy way.

Something else I love about the people is their accent. I was warned about it being strange and even annoying, but I think that it is beautiful, and a pleasure just listening to people speak. Sometimes I catch myself not paying attention to what people say and just appreciating the sound of their voice. For words with the letter “ll,” which is normally pronounced as a “yuh” (like in quesadilla), Argentines would “jah.” Quesadillas are not part of the diet here, but if they used the word they would say “quesadeejah.” I apologize in advance to my friends who have spent time in Chile and are not fans: after living here for five months I can’t imagine that I won’t toss in a “me jahmo” every so often.

Speaking of food, it is amazing. Emily and I went out to dinner last night, where I had the most delicious steak I have ever tasted. It would have been sacrilegious to put steak sauce on this cut of meat. After I took my first bite, I exclaimed “Holy cow!”, and Emily said, “no pun intended.” We laughed for quite a while about that one. There are also some foreign dining customs here. After our very first meal in Buenos Aires, Emily asked for the check. After giving us a strange look, the waiter went to the back restaurant and said to his coworker, “La cuenta hahahahahaha.” Apparently at some restaurants you’re just supposed to know how much to pay. I still haven’t quite figured out when it is okay to ask for the bill, and have accepted that I will be learning these sorts of things by making mistakes. The menu can be equally misterious. We were looking at our options, and were rather shocked that they served “ojo de bife,” which we translated as cow’s eye. Only later did it dawn upon us that that must mean rib eye.

Me and Emily at dinner, with our waiter, Eduardo:





I am so happy that I chose to come to Buenos Aires, and would not want to be anywhere else in the world. The people are vivacious and the culture is rich. I love exploring the city, and most of all, just talking to people. Now I am excited for our next adventure: we are taking the buquebus to Punta del Este, a boat which goes from Buenos Aires to a city by the beach in Uruguay. ¡Hasta luego!

This is me in front of the Congress building a few hours after arriving in BA:

¡Adiós!

I never thought that I would create a blog, but I suppose that now more than ever is the time for trying new things. I am leaving for Buenos Aires, Argentina tomorrow (!!!), where I will living for the next five months. As of today, that is pretty much the extent of what I know. I will not find out where I'm living and with whom, and what classes I'm taking until I arrive. I can hardly wait for my adventure to begin! I hope to use this blog to process and record my experiences, and to share with you what I'm up to. If you'd like, you can reach me by e-mail at acaditz@oxy.edu or Skype (my user name is ali.caditz).

Mail can be sent to:

Alison Caditz
CIEE Program
FLACSO
Ayacucho 555
(1026) Buenos Aires
ARGENTINA