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