Tigre

This past weekend, I was talking to this Argentine dude I had met and used the word "Che."  He seemed pretty impressed and told me that I sounded like a true Argentine.  Flattering to hear, yet the good news is that you can use the word pretty much in any situation and it makes sense: Che, I'm going to take a day off from work today, or Che, I hate the government, or Che, I can't breathe because everyone smokes in this country, or just Che.  Either way, I took it as a compliment.

This past Sunday, I went to Tigre, a small city located about an hour outside of Buenos Aires.  Tigre makes for a great day trip, featuring small rivers and inlets and a giant artisan fair.  There exist many private mini islands in Tigre, with privately owned houses.  In fact, when API went to Tigre in March, they went to some private home, whose owners know my resident director, and had a giant asado.  Unfortunately, I couldn't attend because they went on Saturday.  So unless you know people who live on these islands, I'm not sure if you can take the boat to them.  So I took a boat to some public area with a mini hike/paseo, walking along an outlet of the river, passing by different homes and restaurants.  Very quiet walk, disturbed by the occasional passing of a boat or canoe. 

It's a terrible comparison but I thought of Venice as I was in Tigre.  I'd say the major similarities included the type of boats people use and that many people use boats to commute and go shopping.  But an experience nonetheless. 
After our river trip, we went to the giant artisan fair, which featured dance performances, different food stations, and tons of stores, some very trendy in fact.  These giant fairs, which offer so many different types of merchandise, can certainly be very overwhelming.  But it helps to experience it the Argentine way, strolling along, remaining outside of time, being in the moment.  It's nice to have girls present on these occasions as well to guide you in your purchases- so that you don't end up buying really dumb or ugly things.   And Yael even gave me the idea to buy photo frames.   I never would have thought about buying one of those.  In the end, I bought a couple and I'm happy with the purchase.  Plus I found Messi jerseys for cheap (granted they're copies)!

Upon leaving the fair, this group of kids, hearing English, approached us and said "hello," "welcome," and "where are you from." Just hearing English gives them the excuse to say the few words they know.  Again, it's the excitement of speaking English, the native tongue of the US that attracts them.  To so many kids, US represents the land of the rich, exotic, and famous, and the ability to communicate gives them a piece of it, in a way. 

On Sunday night, some Jewish event was held at a bar.  Mexican themed, the event featured Corona, mojitos, and fajitas, really delicious ones in fact- the first Mexican food I've had here.  I thought it was a chance for young Jewish Argentine to gather and socialize.  It soon turned into a religious propaganda event, with two men getting up to preach about becoming religious and the need to keep the entire land of Israel.  I thought the timing was borderline inappropriate.  I doubt that's what the audience was hoping for when they decided to attend Mexican bar night in Belgrano. 

En cualquier caso, tengo hambre (in any case, i'm hungry)

buen dia

ariel
Pics from tigre:

Water in a glass bottle

I've been getting into Tango Electronic music, which is a more lounge style, modern type of Tango.  So on Friday, I went to the center of town to look for some cheap CD's.  After visiting the Cabildo Museum, which tells the history of the building and Argentina's independence, I got lunch at this restaurant that I had been at earlier on in the semester.  It's an all you can eat vegan buffet, and somehow, in 2 months, the price for lunch had risen 11 pesos.  When I asked the waiter about this, he responded that they had raised the price of the meal by 2 pesos and that you had to order a drink as well. I tried ordering tap water but I wasn't allowed- apparently the restaurant doesn't have a sink. Thus, I ended up ordering a 9 peso water.  I clearly looked peeved because as I paid, he asked me where I was from.  I truthfully responded the US, and he asked me why Americans tend to be so cheap.  I didn't want to get into a whole argument about this but I explained to him that in any restaurant in the US, one could always get tap water, thus saving a couple of bucks.  I expressed how frustrating it was that surely the restaurant has tap water to spare but I have to pay for water, the most basic thing. (Yes billions of people don't have access to good drinking water but that's not for here).  And what do I need to drink water from a glass bottle for?  This restaurant was by no means classy.  And the water in  Buenos Aires happens to be pretty good.  But no, I had to drink water from a glass bottle.  Argen freakin tina!!  It was both a principle thing and the drink cost nearly 2 dollars. 

In the last few weeks, between learning about it in school and getting used to living here, I have become quite interested in the whole history of Juan Peron, the Argentine president beginning in the 1940's, serving 3 different terms.  The fascinating part about it remains that everyone has a different opinion about him.  It continues as a heated debate- ask any Argentine about Peron and you'll get a rant in many cases, always with a different attitude.  But it's not just opinion where people disagree.  People have told me completely contradictory things regarding facts about the Peron regime.  I'm almost obsessed at this point with knowing what really is Peronism and how he was as a leader. 
For example, in class, I learned that the general quality of life greatly improved and a middle class developed during his time.  Then at Friday night dinner, my hosts explained to me that he ruined the flourishing middle class and poverty became even more widespread and extreme.  Some held that Peron led a democracy, others held that he led a dictatorship.  What actually happened?  I still don't really know, but I'll try not to stress about it.

On shabbat day, I walked to Palermo to daven at Menorah, where I attended last week.  There, I encountered the most strict security yet.  When I got to the door, the guard barely opened the door, asked me for my name, where I was from, what I was doing in Argentina, whom I was going to see at the shul.  It was as if I were checking in for an El Al flight.  Even after providing him with all of this information, he shut the door and went upstairs to confirm that I wasn't making this stuff up.  After a couple of minutes, I entered.  But seriously, I guess the different synagogues feel the need to do this security check, but it's pretty sad and a bit scary nevertheless. 

Shabbat afternoon, following lunch, I walked with my friend Yael to her house, located in an area I had not yet visited called San Cristobal.  We walked for a fairly long time, talking about the semester and our thoughts about Buenos Aires.  Of course, one can never fail to mention the filth that exists on the streets.  Amazingly, just as Yael said "this city is just full of so much sh#t, some pigeon poop landed right in between us- right on cue.  It's nice to know that the major inhabitants of Buenos Aires, people, dogs, and pigeons, all play a part in providing fertilizer to the sidewalks.  If only everyone were that united about politics here.

A couple other observations:
1. Argentines love walking slowly, but even more so, somehow always walk in the middle of the sidewalk, so unless it's a Sunday morning, where nobody is awake, you can't pass these people.  So you just gotta roll your eyes, inch along, until you find an opening to pass. 
2.  Babies are everywhere

Right down the block from me sits an ice cream store that offers the strangest/most interesting promotions:
1. Whenever it rains, if you buy a kilo of ice cream, you get another one free.
2. If the outside temperature sits between 0-5 degrees Celsius, if you buy a kilo, you get another kilo free.
3. If the outside temperature sits between 5-9 degrees, if you buy a kilo, you get 1/2 of a kilo free.
4. If the outside temperature sits between 9-16 degrees, if you buy a kilo, you get 1/4 of a kilo free.

They're clearly obsessed with the weather, though it's a very creative way to come up with a promotion.  While I do like their ice cream, however, I don't plan on buying a kilo anytime soon.  Plus I'm not going to round up everyone I know in Belgrano in the middle of a thunderstorm. 

Hasta luego

Ariel

25 de Mayo

On Monday afternoon, our program had a special class where we learned different Argentine folkloric dances, such as Malambo, Chacarera, and Zamba, most of which originated in the Northwestern provinces, such as Salta, Jujuy, and Santiago del Estero.  The dances had quite an interesting mix to them.  At some points, I felt like I was at a bar mitzvah, such as when we were circle dancing, or doing that dance where each couple dances underneath everyone's outstretched arms.  But then the dances turned really sensual, incorporating kerchiefs used to bring the couple as close as possible to each other- certainly not bar mitzvah material, or at least Yavneh Academy bar mitzvah material.  After we finished  the class, I felt the need to revert to familiar territory, breaking out some Tango.
After leaving the API center, I went with Emma, a friend from API, to this huge art exhibit in a major cultural facility in the city.  It featured works of art, mostly paintings but also interesting optical illusion/gadget type stuff, from all over the world.  There really is never a shortage of activities in Buenos Aires.

It's amazing how after living in a city for just a few months, it begins to feel much smaller, and you tend to run into people that you know.  On Tuesday night, I met up with some friends at a bar in Retiro, near the port, which is on the other side of the city.  My friends acted according to Argentine time, meaning that they showed up at the bar 45-1 hour late.  No problem-   only a few minutes after arriving, a couple French kids from my class showed up, giving me good company in the meantime.

Yesterday, Argentina celebrated Día de la Revolución de Mayo, or May Revolution Day, which commemorates the May revolution of 1810, which put Argentina on the path towards true independence from Spain.  In particular, a self-governing administration took over in Buenos Aires.  It was only a matter of time before Argentina would completely separate from Spain.  Finally, in 1816, with San Martin as general, Argentina declared independence. 

I went with some chicos from my program to the famous Plaza de Mayo, named for the date in history, to celebrate.  We missed the parades but there were tons of street vendors, amazing looking meat and other Argentine foods, masses of people, and musicians.  The subway was free for the day as well.  Everyone gathered at the square, facing the Casa Rosada (Pink House), which houses the executive branch in Argentina.  Different bands performed, and during intervals, different historical incidents would be replayed on the screen, which reflected off of the casa rosada.  During one strange segment, a giant frog costume came on stage and performed something, I'm not really sure what it was, but it definitely had the kids excited.  Of course, a little propaganda was necessary for the occasion, which included some flashbacks on both Nestor (former president who recently died) and Kristina Kirchner, his wife and the current president.    
Nevertheless, I experienced tremendous amounts of Argentine patriotism yesterday.  Yes, many people in Argentina think their government is composed of corrupt idiots, and poverty is rampant, but people here love their country. 

To continue with the festivities, Dan, AJ, 2 API friends, and I went to a salsa bar last night, featuring a band performing authentic Latin music, or Cuban salsa, whatever.  The show was scheduled to begin at 11:30, which meant that the band wouldn't arrive until 12:30.  Therefore, the band introductions were pretty uneventful- nobody came onstage and with the band's final arrival, things were pretty anticlimactic.
However, the music was a nice change of pace.  No English at this place and lots of Latino love.  I definitely enjoy at least attempting to dance salsa- a lot freer and less technical than the Tango.  But as I was told, it's not that popular in Argentina.  A girl I was talking to at the bar told me that Argentines don't dance as well as say Colombians, where salsa is much more popular.  I don't know, it seemed like the locals had a good idea of what they were doing on the dance floor. 

In school news, I somehow lost my student ID card, and I took that as a bad sign that I had probably missed too much class, but I went to my adviser today and I'm over 80 % in everything.  So maybe it's a sign that I should be skipping more school??  we'll see, though there really isn't that much left to skip. 

Here are some videos featuring Argentine Folk dance

Plaza de Mayo performance: skip to about 4.5 minutes into the video, once they start peforming. 

Pics from Plaza de Mayo

 No the Catedral isn't on fire

Buenas noches a todos

Ariel

Evita

Although I am now used to some of the bizarre and irrational policies of this country/city, I still continue to marvel at the new ones I come across.  You might not think too much of this one, but I certainly thought it was pretty dumb. 
This past Thursday night, my friend Dan and I went to this Jazz show at a restaurant, one of the few places with some type of entertainment/nightlife in Belgrano.  The waitress handed us the dinner menus and we sat around for a while, waiting for the waitress to come back so we could order a couple of drinks.  We had no intention of ordering any food.  After some time, the waitress moved us to another part of the bar, where we were handed the dinner menus again.  We still had no intention of eating.  The waitress came back and told us the Jazz show cost 20 pesos, but on top of that, in order to stay for the show, we had to order dinner as well.  Thus, we wouldn't be allowed to stay for the show.  We even offered to buy 2 drinks each, which would have been more expensive than some of the dinners available.  The answer was still no, we had to order dinner.  There we were, ready to give some business to this restaurant, but they wanted no part of our money because we didn't want to eat anything.  And we weren't inclined to sit in the chainsmokers' section of the restaurant and cough to death just for some jazz either. This country... even when they have willing customers, they can't sell.  Nevertheless, wanting to take in as much jazz as possible, Dan and I pretended to debate whether or not to order dinner, and we remained at our table for a few songs, ultimately leaving with the familiar question of "what is wrong with this country?" on our minds. 

I also enjoy listening to Argentine opinions regarding international politics.  On shabbat day, I walked to Menorah, a sephardic shul (temple) and organization/youth center that develops programs for young adults.  Jonah, Avi, and I were invited to a family's house for lunch.  It didn't take long to get a sense of another one of the guests there.  Before I even had the chance to sit down, this guy was saying how Obama opens up to the Arab world because he ultimately hopes to create an Islamic state in the US.  Later in the meal, the guy warned that being a Zionist could lead one to Hell.  The guy was a little extreme.  Actually, he was insane. 
This guy aside, our hosts were very gracious.  And it turns out, his father and my great-grandfather came from the same village in Ukraine way back when.  I can never get enough of how small the Jewish world is.  Our host also was seemingly amazed by everything that was said at the table.  It seemed that after every sentence uttered, he responded with the phrase, "que barbaro," which means "wow," or "incredible."

Last night, I went to a Lag Baomer party at a Chabad house in Palermo.  My friend Avi and I seemed to be the only Americans, which was pretty cool.  The party featured tables with different ethnic foods, including Israeli and "Chinese" as well as a bar and music.  Towards the end of the night, a group of Brazilians performed some capoeira, a Brazilian art form that combines music and martial arts.  I really enjoyed the night and met a few Argentines and Brazilians as well.  These Jewish events, which by no means attract religious kids, are really great opportunities to meet and hang out with Argentine locals so I definitely enjoy that aspect. 

Today, I was planning on going to another fair in Buenos Aires but it poured for most of the afternoon, so instead, I went with Mya to the Museo Evita, a museum that focuses on and honors Eva Peron, the wife of the controversial Juan Peron, who was President of Argentina in the mid 20th century.  The museum is housed in a beautiful mansion which during Eva's time, was purchased by her foundation to be used as a transit home for families that had been displaced and for orphans.  Eva Peron fought on behalf of the poor, became very involved in social justice, and furthered womens' rights in Argentina.
Here is a bit more info on Eva Peron:
  http://chalk.richmond.edu/education/projects/webquests/argentina/biopage.html

Before going back home, Mya and I went to the Barrio Chino (China town), located near Belgrano, and explored a bit.  Similar to other China Towns, it sells tons of different merchandise, none of which you really need or want.  Yet it always is an experience!

Ciao Ciao

ariel

Bariloche Continued

I’m currently sitting in Van Gogh Café, my weekly Wednesday night hang out, which usually involves chatting with Laura, the cute Colombian waitress, and having some tea.  For some reason, the Wifi here isn’t working, and I realize just how dependent we are on Internet.  It’s definitely in my head, but it seems harder to write when the screen in front of me isn’t in the blog form- what I’m used to, at least in writing about my experiences in Argentina.  

Anyway, tonight, API, my abroad program, met at the director’s house for Movie Night.  We watched an Argentine romantic comedy and then celebrated one of the guy’s birthdays afterward.  

Back to Bariloche:  Sam and I woke up really early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, and took a bus about 45 minutes outside the city to do a hike known as Laguna Negra.  Early on in the hike, we joined with the only other person ascending as well.  It turned out he was a Jew from Bariloche and he’s going to Israel next month to volunteer for 6 months.  What are the chances?? Anyway, most of our time was spent in the forest, walking alongside a river, so we always had fresh water to replenish.  We had a near run-in with some cows- they didn’t seem content to have us around and their very loud mooes certainly reflected their feelings.  The last hour on the way up was very grueling- very steep and lots of rock climbing.  That combined with the high altitude made it necessary for us to stop at every bend we turned.  There existed this mysterious aura in that we just had no idea what we were going to see once we reached the top.  We felt ourselves getting really close, and we much appreciated the colorful mountains and the small streams flowing down below, but at the same time, we were anxious to reach the top.  I finally reached the top and immediately collapsed onto the ground out of sheer exhaustion.  My shirt was drenched with a cold sweat.  Only after catching my breath was I able to get a good look at the Laguna Negra, a small lake, perfectly calm, that looked black from above.  As Sam joined me, we got closer to the lake and saw how similar to the other lakes we had visited, the water was crystal clear.  

After having a quick lunch at the summit, Sam and I left our Barilochean friend at the top and descended at a rapid pace because of time constraints.  We made great timing on our descent yet the hike seemed endless, to the point that we thought we had made a wrong turn.  We couldn’t contain our feelings of accomplishment once we found the road where the hike had begun.  We completed the 28 kilometer hike in about 7 hours, más o menos. 

We walked to a nearby village called Colonia Suiza, which hosts an artisan fair every Sunday.  We bought more chocolate and some other crafts, including a mate cup, and then hopped on a bus back towards Bariloche, exhausted, triumphant, and proud. 

Sam returned to Buenos Aires that night.  Wanting to conserve my energy, I went to sleep early.  The following day, I took a bus to the Hotel Llao Llao, a 5 star super luxurious hotel that overlooks one of the lakes.  I explored the hotel and its grounds and then began a day featuring lots of walking and miradores (lookouts).  I hiked through the forest and ended up at these beautiful points overlooking the lakes.  That pretty much took up most of the day but it was interesting seeing the different lakes and mountains from myriad vantage points.  I walked so far that I took myself out of the bus route’s range.  In order to get back to bus territory, I had to walk another 5 miles.  At some point during this last stretch, my knee gave out, and it was quite a struggle to get to that bus.  I limped and limped, of course stopping at every lookout I could find.  It was painful but the other options included swimming to Bariloche or hitch hiking.   Finally, I made it to this small little restaurant with an incredible view.  Fortunately, the bus stopped at this little place because I really couldn’t walk any further.  After gulping down one of the best hot chocolates of my life, I staggered on to the bus and rode back to the center of town, eager to get something to eat.  

Tuesday morning, I woke up while it was still dark and walked to the lake.  I sat and listened to the breeze, embracing the quiet, waiting for the Sun to rise.

  Many people I’ve talked to have complained that the problem with Bariloche is that it has become too touristy, therefore becoming too big and too loud.  Yes, street noise can be a problem there, but one can’t help but marvel at the stunning beauty surrounding the city- the lakes and mountains.   Such a contrast from Buenos Aires. 

That being said, I plan to be in Buenos Aires for the remainder of my semester here in Argentina, minus a couple of day trips.  It’s amazing how quickly the semester is passing by, kinda unsettling but I’m looking forward to being back in the city.  Though I certainly didn’t like how the cab driver who picked me up at the airport guessed that I was 34 years old.  Sure, I had a gimpy leg but seriously? 34? I didn’t take that too well, and despite a nice discussion about some other cool places to visit in Argentina, I was eager to get out of the cab. 

Buenas

Ariel

Laguna Negra

 Amazing ice cream

 Chocolate!!

 Llao Llao

Bariloche

As I mentioned last time I went on a weekend getaway, it's hard leaving the beautiful Argentine wilderness for the bustling, imposing, and dirty Buenos Aires.  This time was certainly no different, after I spent 6 days in Bariloche, a city located in Northern Patagonia, in the Lake District.  The following words provide an accurate portrayal of Bariloche, formerly known as San Carlos de Bariloche: pristine, clear, clean, mysterious, breathtaking ( I especially like this word b/c of Seinfeld- see the Hamptons episode).   Overlooking a beautiful lake and built up with lake houses- wooden and rustic, the city reminds me of Switzerland.  I actually have never been to Switzerland but based on my imagination and google images, this comparison seems well founded.
In all seriousness, many Swiss immigrants came to Bariloche and helped to develop it, influencing the architecture and its growth as the country's chocolate capital.  As a result, the city is about half ski town/ half Willy Wonka reality, except the buildings themselves aren't made out of chocolate.

Anyway, I met my friend Sam in the city and didn't have a problem finding a hostel because it's currently the offseason, post high summer season and pre-winter ski season.  After getting settled, we walked down to the lake and began what was to be the first of many walks/hikes during the trip. Wandering along the lake without any worries, almost immediately, 4 stray dogs started following us.  I usually don't like petting stray dogs but these guys were very cute and simply wanted some company.  Sam and I even named them, which was easy because of their outgoing personalities.  We walked along the lake's edge for a couple hours, until our hunger drove us to a supermarket.  Upon exiting the supermarket, the dogs rejoined us, demonstrating their loyalty.  After picking some blackberries from numerous bushes overlooking the street, we began ascending, with the goal of reaching the top of the hill.  We passed by some beautiful houses, many of which had apple trees and nice yards, and of course, dogs.  At some point, we came out of the forest and seemed to hit a dead end.  I was convinced of this one because of the sign that told us that the above trail was private property, and two because of the pack of dogs that surrounded us, barking in that unfriendly kind of way.  Unwilling to let our dogs get into a fight, we retreated and decided to make our way back down towards the center of the city.  We picked a couple of apples and wandered aimlessly through the outskirts of town, hoping to get to the lake at some point.  After walking a couple more miles, Sam and I hopped on a bus to the center, leaving our new friends behind.  (If you've ever had a dog, you could imagine that look they gave us as we left, that look of sadness, pleading with us not to leave).  Those dogs actually spent the whole day with us, so we were a bit sad leaving them.

We found a vegan restaurant right near our hostel (convenient for me that Sam's a vegetarian) and followed that up with ice cream, some of the best I've had in Argentina. 

On Friday morning, Sam and I got up early and took a bus with an Israeli that we had met in the hostel towards another lake outside the city.  Once we got off the bus, we took a hike alongside the lake and made our way to a nice waterfall, not quite as big as Iguazu but pretty nonetheless.  With our new set of dog friends for the day, we hiked up the mountain until we got to a beautiful lookout of the lake.  After obsessively debating whether to go kayaking, we made our way down the mountain and found a restaurant on the lake that rented out kayaks.  They were very willing to take us out on to the lake, but the woman was quite anal about letting me eat my own food on her property (it's not like other people were waiting to sit at the restaurant- we were the only people there).  I hurriedly finished my sandwich so as not to jeopardize our chance to go kayaking.  After a painful walk through the water into the kayak, I got settled.  Not wanting to test the current, we paddled close to the coast.  It was quite a relaxing hour.  When we weren't paddling, we were sitting still, listening to the silence of the surrounding mountains and trees.  Being away from the big city, I really appreciated the quiet.   The water was a pure green, reminiscent of the Caribbean.  It was also quite cold, I know because my legs somehow got pretty wet.  I'm just glad I didn't fall in. 

After kayaking, we took a bus back to town, where we bought some fruits, vegetables, bread, and some more chocolate for shabbat.  (The purchase of chocolate was a common theme during our trip).  I had hoped to go to Chabad for shabbos but they were on vacation.  But it turned out that everyone in the hostel was Jewish, including the manager, with 4 Israelis, Sam, and me.  So it was very conducive for having a small little shabbat meal, which consisted of rice, bread, and salad. 

The following day, while Sam went on a long bike ride, I took a nice walk along the lake, exploring a bit, had lunch, and spent most of the afternoon reading on the hostel's top floor, which offered great views of the lake.  Saturday night, we all went to get ice cream and buy more chocolate.  The ice cream stores in Bariloche make flavors from fruits indigenous to the region, and you can't seem to find them anywhere else.  One flavor is based from mosqueto, a fruit, used also to make oil and tea.  Regarding the chocolate, there exists anything imaginable- dark chocolate, milk, white, different types of nuts, dulce de leche, fruit creams, honey filling, mint, mousses- just unreal.  After the dessert outing, we went back to the hostel, watched a movie, and went to sleep, needing some good rest for the following day. 

Although we were there during the low season, it was really nice how quiet the city was: very simple and we pretty much had the hostel to ourselves.  Plus, I didn't exactly want to stay out late in that we were so busy during the day. 

I'll continue with the rest of my trip tomorrow.  
Here are some pics from the first 2 days: 

The Wonderful Attendence System of UB

Here is how the attendance works at the University of Belgrano: you must swipe your student ID card and then your name gets put into the school system for the day.  Sounds pretty sophisticated right? Hmmm...  If you swipe more than 10 minutes late, it counts as an absence.  If you remain present in class the entire time yet forget to swipe, it counts as an absence, even if the professor passes around a handwritten attendance sheet.  In other words, the electronic system supersedes any signature or statement made by the professor.  In other words, I'm screwed.  No, it's not that bad- I forgot to swipe once.
Anyway, this morning, my friend Aidan sent me a text saying that class was canceled for the day.  The professor, who always seems to be in pain, always grimacing, seems to cancel class left and right.  Since it was my only class of the day, my natural instinct should have been: great, I don't have to go to school today.  I had this thought at first, but then I was told that even if class is canceled, you still have to swipe your card to get credit for attendance.  Unbelievable- what I am attending exactly? The professor is in bed and I have to "attend" his class?  At least I live fairly close to the universidad.  Nonetheless, while Belgrano attempts to create this super sophisticated system, it seems pretty backward and dumb if you ask me.  I have an absence in the same class even though nobody else attended that day- the professor didn't even come to the building at all that day. 

Often when I speak to locals here, I have this weird habit of telling them that I don't understand what they're saying even though I do.  I listen to them and take in the words and proceed to give them a blank, confused stare, as if I'm completely lost.  When they ask me if I understood what they said, I respond "no."  This has happened on several occasions. Am I that spacy?? Very bizarre

Although Buenos Aires is indeed a huge city, it has begun to feel much smaller and familiar.  It's a great feeling to feel comfortable giving directions to others or seeing people that you know on the street, just like I would in New York or in Teaneck.  Plus I have my regular cafe and ice cream store down the block as well.  Routine is good- makes me really feel like I'm living here. 

Anyway, tomorrow, I'm traveling to Bariloche, a beautiful city in Northern Patagonia, in the Lake District.  It will be very cold but I'm hoping that it won't snow so I can do some great hiking.  It's the low season now b/c it's post summer but pre ski season.  I'm hoping for the best.  Excited to miss another 3 days of school.

Here are some pics from the Japanese Garden, Palermo Park, and the Recoleta Feria (Fair)

Buenas,

Ariel