Why am I here?

Why am I here? - To learn, to obtain a greater knowledge of international business. The university I attend in the city is an International Business school, relating back to my minor, International Business. I attend class Monday through Thursday every week, starting at 10:30 am.  Classes meet twice a week and are an hour and a half long. I am enrolled in four classes - Food and Wine in Argentina, International Marketing, Culture and Civilization of South America, and Spanish II.

Food and Wine

Many laughed when I indicated I was taking such a course while abroad (as they thought I would actually take “classes”). However, I would not think of anything better to take. Upon my arrival I noted immediately that these two things, food and wine, define argentine culture in a big way. This class is a pretty painful one to sit through at 10:30 a.m. when you have woken up too late to eat breakfast, for, food is always the topic of discussion. We have discussed the ordinary to the traditional, and the everyday styles of cuisine here in Argentina. Meat in Argentina has always been the big deal of the cuisine culture; I cannot stress this point enough. Argentines hold great pride for their heritage/ancestors thriving off of the cow.  Having a chunk of meat (mostly carne (beef)) on your plate at dinner every night, defines the “haves” and the “have-nots”. My cholesterol may be skyrocketing by the end of these five months. A very interesting class indeed, and should continue to be such.

The cuisine here is not what I expected. Much of the food is similar to that in America. Everyone seems to think, tacos, rice and beans; this is not the case at all. To find spicy food is impossible. Breakfast is not “the most import meal of the day”. Many just have coffee and a piece of toast or fruit. Lunch is not consumed until about 2:00pm. There is a very common light “mid” meal that some par take in around 5:00pm or so, and dinner is enjoyed at 9:00 or 10:00 at night. 

International Marketing

This class sort of speaks for itself. The class encompasses the processes it takes to successfully expand a company globally.  Class is a little bland due to the broken English our professor speaks, therefore, she reads her PowerPoint for an hour and a half.  However, I do find the content very interesting; discussing all the work and different processes one may take to research a different network of individuals, all harvesting different beliefs, values, and interests, to determine if one’s product will thrive in a new part of the globe. I could very much so, see myself working in this field, international marketing research. Undertaking the research of different cultures/areas of the globe, determining for a company how one can be successful on a larger scale of the international network. This class is helping define my possible future.

Culture and Civilization

I was the most excited to take this class. Thinking it would really help immerse me into the Argentine culture the “right” way. Getting the hints and tips, of the land and the individuals that reside in the country I am calling my home for five months. However, this is not so much the case, I have come to learn. My Professor is a history professor at another university in the city. Therefore, this class has taken more of a history route… at least this is the case so far. There are hopes that the focus may change as we get more in depth. However, one could argue that history is what defines a countries culture and civilization; I would accept that. We travel often with this class to various museums and landmarks in the city. We have gone to a exhibition of cinema and photography, showing how life of the city of Buenos Aires has been depicted through history. We have also traveled to a colonial museum, extremely interesting. This exhibition focused on the artwork of the colonial period. Everything pertained to Catholicism back then or it was not even considered art, (A few of us walked around with our professor and we picked each other’s minds of the many meanings paintings and sculptures encompassed). Being able to travel to various places is a plus, for we don’t often have to learn in the classroom setting. This is how it should be as one is studying abroad, in my opinion.  

Spanish II

Where to start… I am a complete newborn when it comes to Spanish. I had signed up for Beginner Spanish I, however, the class was not offered due to a low enrollment (I was the only one). This did not surprise me, for not many would not travel to foreign country that speaks a language they have no prior knowledge of, however, I did. I told my program I would take on Spanish II, willing to put a lot of work into it, more than the others in the class. I picked a Spanish speaking country, for I wanted to learn the language. I did not want to short myself of a great part of the experience I had pictured, learning a new language. This class has definitely been a struggle, but one I am welcoming. My improvement since day one is a big one; however I have a ways to go (don’t know if it is my Spanish that is getting better or my ability to do charades). My professor is a great and is very patient with me, as well as my classmates, all help me out when I am in need. This class is probably the only class I give time to outside of the classroom. I am extremely excited to watch myself grow in Spanish. I gain more confidence in myself every day, however, this does not come with the often happenings of embarrassment.

Of course I am here to learn, as I am STUDYING abroad….

But, why am I REALLY here?

Of course it is hard to jump into an experience with little expectations; however that is just what I did. I came in pretty much blind, with no expectations of this trip, waiting for this experience to hand me whatever it was I would encounter.

I am here, on this day to day journey, to grow, to push myself, to redefine life as I know it, to discover new pieces to my puzzle, to help define a new possible purpose in my future. I am here to completely let go of my imperfect conception of life, welcoming the new, the exciting, the scary, the beautiful, the completely unknown, and let it define me as it will. Although I am conscious of the roots I come from, I am open to new things, adventures, people and experiences. Adventures are the best way to learn. This trip, everyday poses challenges and difficulties that I am open to seeing through. When I feel the most alone, lost, and confused, are the moments I am growing the most. The most beautiful moments are such. It is the way our differences combine to create the meaning and beauty in this journey.

Off to take a breath in new places, heading to Brazil this weekend. We are venturing to see The Iguazu Falls. This is one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Look it up, but I am sure the pictures will not do it justice.

I am in awe I have been living this experience for a month already!

Much love, Miss you.

The Argentine Difference

I have been living in Buenos Aires, Argentina for two weeks now. Although, I do continue to get lost in this city on a daily basis I have gotten comfortable enough in my surroundings to pay attention to a lot more than street signs and direction. I am able to gain a deeper understanding of some of the craze of this city. With my eyes more open to all that makes up this massive city I have become aware of many aspects that set Buenos Aires apart.

1.       The streets: Traffic patterns & traffic lights are only mere suggestions

There is no care given to the lines on the road. Where there is room you squeeze

If the light is red, but you can make it, why not take it?

Pedestrians are not important objects to avoid. If you are in the way you better hustle or say your prayers.

A car horn is the universal voice of the road.

                Biker, I am right behind you. Honk

                Move. Honk

                This is taking forever to get a foot. Honk

                Oh, you’re good looking. Honk

                I’m bored in traffic. Honk

                Hey, I know you. Honk

You get the picture. The streets are LOCO. (the #1 accident city in the world)

2.       Green light, yellow light, red light, yellow light, green light

An extra yellow light is used from the switch of red to green. The reason: a quicker go from the starting line

3.       Laws exist but not practiced

It seems that the thought process of the Argentines (as well as law enforcement) is that if you are not hurting anyone you are a free man.

4.       Police and emergency vehicles drive around with their lights on constantly

5.       To be a part of the military is not valued by the public

There is no thank you given for their service. It is a “why did you do that?” more or less.  

6.       Soccer is bigger than religion.

Imagine what people do for religion, there are wars fought over such. Now, imagine what people do for soccer. Hundreds die every year during soccer riots and disagreements.

7.       Food here is not so different from the United States (however, they value meat more, every meal is not complete without a crazy large piece of meat on your plate)

8.       Spicy food can never be found

9.       Time is no object. Tranquila. To be late is to be on time.

10.   Service in a restaurant is nonexistent to how we define it in the states.

There are no introductions or care given to the customer (every once in a great moon you will find such). You must ask for your check at the end or you will sit there for an hour.

11.   If you go into an electronics store. Everything is on display for you to see, however, you cannot touch it what so ever.

So, that camera you just bought, well, you don’t even know if it takes good pictures.

12.   Men here are very vocal towards women. A stereotype very much proved true upon my arrival. (Machismo)

13.   For all you cigarette addicts in the states, I recently noticed a pack of cigarettes is about ARS $ 10,60. That is about USD $ 1.30.

Everyone smokes here. More people than not.

14.   Platform shoes are a thing. Every woman has a pair of platform shoes on.

Don’t know if I will conform to this trend.

15.   People walk SUPER slowly.

Rushing around is rarely seen, unless your chasing after the bus you just missed

16.   Every Argentine, little kids to the silver hairs, are very politically active and have great knowledge on the world they are a part of.

17.   Argentines are Americans. We are all part of the Americas.

In school, kids learn of North and South America as one continent.  They understand   the globe as having six continents, not seven.

18.   McDonalds here is romanticized

To go to McDonalds is a treat. All the McDonald I’ve seen are at least two stories and I have seen up to five stories. People go to sit for hours in a McDonalds.

19.   Public displays of affection are not avoided by any means

The whole nine yards can be seen in four blocks.

20.   Get to the club before two in the morning, you are early. Go home before the sun is rising, you left early

21.   The bus system is EVERYTHING

The idea of a public bus system was first thought of and put in play in Buenos Aires before anywhere else in the world. The characteristics of the bus are very interesting to me. One must always go to the back. If there are seats in the back one goes to the back. Plenty of room to stand in the front, well one will head to the back. No matter your age, if there is a little room in the back you still head there before sitting or standing up in the front. It is a very interesting thing to observe every day. The whole thing takes me back to the hierarchy of bus seats in middle school.

Buenos Aires continues to amaze me every day. I have definitely gone through many emotions since my arrival in this big city, but all that are making this experience what I want. Learning the language is difficult and frustrating; however I know I will surpass this, as I have already made progress. My life here is wonderful, easy, spontaneous, difficult, and enlightening all wrapped up in an empanada and washed down with vino. As I follow my heart and let the adventure unfold with each new day I realize this opportunity is shaping my ideas of living, deeply and permanently. If I promise to be strong nothing can disturb my peace of mind. For, where there is love and inspiration, I don’t think one can go wrong. It feels good to be lost in the right direction.

Much Love

Tranquila - Living In a New Light

~41,500,000 individuals call the country of Argentina their homeland. ~15,500,000 individuals call the province of Buenos Aires their resting place. ~12,000,000 individuals reside in the metropolitan area of the Greater Buenos Aires, surrounding the capital city. ~2,900,000 individuals thrive in the capital city of Buenos Aires. ~189,000 individuals name Recoleta, a downtown residential neighborhood in the capital city of Buenos Aires, their home. This is where I call home in the great city of Buenos Aires. Although the city of Buenos Aires lacks the visual of a towering skyline, it nowhere near lacks eclectic architectural beauty. Buenos Aires is often referred to as the “Paris of South America”.  As one of the twenty largest cities in the World, I am learning very quickly that this city has so much to offer.

 As many of you know I flew out of Chicago O’Hare Airport on the evening of the 27^th of August. After about 24 hours of very smooth travel I landed in Argentina on the evening of the 28^th. However, as ALL of you do not know, I arrived 30 hours before my study abroad program officially started. Meaning, for my first day and night in the big city of Buenos Aires, I had no one to hold my hand, I was all on my own. Although this was a bit nerve racking, it was also very liberating. It was just me against the big city of Buenos Aires. I had arranged to stay in a Hostel in Recoleta, about three blocks from my homestay, where I would be traveling the following day. I planned for a shuttle to pick me from the airport upon my arrival, taking me from the international airport in Ezeiza, Argentina, to the capital city of Buenos Aires. With little knowledge of Spanish, the language barrier did pose some difficulty. However, between the pencil drawings, Spanglish, and translations, myself along with the Argentinians found it a bit humorous. None the less I arrived at the Reina Madre Hostel safe and sound with all my belongings that traveled the 5,500 mile trek with me (thank goodness). Seeing that I had arrived to the hostel after night fall, I did not have the courage, nor the energy to venture out into the foreign city on my own, not knowing a lick of Spanish or what surrounded me within even a block. I took the night to settle into my reality, this city is my home for the next five months.

I occupied my morning with meeting individuals residing in the hostel. Sick of my broken Spanish, I finally ran into some English speakers, a group of six from Australia doing three months of volunteer work in the city. From them I gathered some knowledge about what surrounded me outside the closed doors of the hostel. Late in the afternoon I was to make it to my homestay; however I had no way of informing my host mother, Graciela, of my arrival time. Therefore, the next step was to obtain a local telephone. This task of obtaining a phone was beyond difficult. I found the store; about ten blocks from the hostel no problem, thanks to a gent working the check-in counter. However, the one worker in the place spoke no English. Long story, short, after about two hours, many frustrations, and broken Spanish sentences later, I held a phone in my hand.

The next step was finding my way to my homestay to meet my host mother, Graciela, and my roommate, another study abroad student from Dallas, Texas, by the name of Julietta. In the late afternoon a radio taxi hauled myself, two fifty pound suitcases, and two carry-ons about four blocks to where I would call home for the next few months. My mind was a bit numb during the short ride. I had connected much with Julietta before leaving the states; however, I knew little to nothing about my mother, Graciela. She speaks very little English so communication between us before I left was very minimal. None the less when the taxi came to halt my emotions ran rampid, I was very excited. I was open to keeping this journey spontaneous and care free, it was all part of the experience. Through the intercom I let her know of my arrival. Let in by the door man, I sat in the lobby with toes tapping. Graciela, slides open the elevator door and embraces me with a tight hug and kiss on the cheek. Standing behind her is Julietta, whom I was very excited to meet, as we had gotten to know one another through Facebook before we left the states. As she gives me a hug, I can feel her buzzing energy of excitement to start this journey in Argentina. This is it, I have arrived, I am home.

Four days to meander and get lost in the city before school would begin. Where to start? Graciela gave us a small tour of the places surrounding her/our home in Recoleta, places to eat, streets to recognize, and helpful safety tips. From there we would discover the vast city on our own. The best way to discover is to get lost, and that we have, time and time again. Each day we discover something new and I believe with everything this city offers there will never come a day that we don’t make a new discovery in this massive city.

Come Friday it was time to obtain some knowledge of the city from some Porteños (the nickname given to the individuals born and raised in Buenos Aires – the name comes from the fact that B.A. is a port city). Orientation provided us with useful knowledge of the city and what we should expect while residing here. Our program has taken us on many tours, by bus and by foot, throwing out random facts left and right, explaining the have and have nots, and providing us with history lessons every step of the way.  In our first weekend we have ventured to two festivals, one in our home neighborhood, Recoleta, and another in San Telmo, the oldest neighborhood in Buenos Aires, also home to their government buildings (La Casa Rosada (equivalent to our white house), the federal bank, and the IRS, all located in one plaza). A festival consists of many street vendors, selling anything from puppets to purses. Anything you could imagine, all handmade, all inexpensive, all beautiful. Tons of music, guitar, fast paced tango, drum circles, reggae, and the hum of thousands of people.

The culture of Buenos Aires is very rich. Time is not an object to pay attention to. Your relationships are the most important. Family is your life. Coffee or mate (the local drink, a tea) is consumed multiple times a day at any hour to be able to chat with those that matter.  Life is easy going.

I have been here for one week now and every minute I am learning more and more. Overwhelming for sure, but welcoming it all with an open mind and no expectations. Buenos Aires is my home, I am to open my arms to new experiences, a new language, and a new way of living.

I am excited to keep all those that are interested updated with my life here in Buenos Aires. I am not consuming my thoughts with this Blog, I may write on it about once a week (that is my goal). I do not know the style that this blog will take or how in detail I will go into my travels, for some of you will not even begin to understand how or what I am going through no matter how hard I try to put it in words. However, if you have any questions beyond what I share please ask, shoot me an email or message me on the infamous Facebook.

*pictures are sure to come in the future

Love for all of you!