Advertisement
Published: March 19th 2011
Che amigos!
Today is the two-week mark of my arrival in Buenos Aires and it has been quite an experience thus far. There are so many changes in my living situation, not just because I am in a new country, but more so because this is the first time I am completely independent in a HUGE city. I never realized what city life was actually like before now (in La Paz I lived in a house with family constantly around, here I share an 14th floor apartment with an Argentinean woman in Palermo Hollywood). I am still getting used to little things such as having to use three different old-school keys to enter and leave the apartment, turning the gas on and off in order to take a shower, remembering to calculate money transactions in order to get coins for the bus (the kioscos are so stingy with giving coins for change, moneda es como oro!), and figuring out public transportation (I am all too familiar with the feeling of being lost, its actually a comfortable experience now).
There is much to discover in Buenos Aires, from parrillas to museos to boliches. So far, i've done a bit of sightseeing by day and a lot of dancing by night. Last week, I attended an array of classes in order to see which ones I will ultimately register for. Most of my decision will be based on whether or not I can understand the pace and accent of the professor's speech. One of the professors kept interrupting his lecture every 10 minutes to ask me ("la americana") if I understood what he was talking about, it was a nice gesture but a bit embarrassing in a class of 40 people.
Now I am going to be finding a balance between work and fun, settling into a schedule, and exploring all that the city has to offer (including free tango classes). I'm off to the park to meet up with some Bolivian friends, drink some mate, and maybe get a page or two of reading done.
Chao!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.075s; Tpl: 0.009s; cc: 8; qc: 47; dbt: 0.0424s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Dad
non-member comment
Yes, by all means, take advantage of the free tango lessons. Tango has made a comeback in the last couple of decades and now is popular among young people of different social classes. Immortalized most famously by singer/composer Carlos Gardel, it is undoubtedly Argentina's musical contribution to the world. Theater is also a must, the most famous venue is Teatro Colon. Also, try to catch a soccer game, even better a "clasico" match between the two traditional rivals, Boca Juniors and River Plate. Enjoy your Buenos Aires experience!