Saturday, December 27, 2003
Christmas - so fun! here's the family i was with.
the parents don't speak english. but we got on fine. the dad kept telling me about how marriage is a prison, and holding his wrists together like he was handcuffed, and telling me that his wife is really short...or something....hilarious. such warm sweet people. it was really fun. we had dinner and lots of wine, beer, champagne, etc.
after dinner, right at midnight, everyone sets off fireworks from their balcony. it sounds like baghdad, tons of booming. then two friends came over, we hung out for a while, parents and all, and went to a party at 3:30 and stayed til after 6am. i'm going back for more of the same on new year's! i'm excited.
aren't we good dancers!
Last night was an impromptu party at my apartment, then we went to the lansky lounge. really fun. i'm still feeling the pain from that, and it's 9pm the next day.
here's the group on my balcony.
It's Talent from Kirgistan, Eliza and me, Edgardo, Tolga from New York (but turkish) and mariano from argentina.
and here's talent and alison (also from new york) two people whose mouths are always open - you can also see my air conditioner!
the parents don't speak english. but we got on fine. the dad kept telling me about how marriage is a prison, and holding his wrists together like he was handcuffed, and telling me that his wife is really short...or something....hilarious. such warm sweet people. it was really fun. we had dinner and lots of wine, beer, champagne, etc.
after dinner, right at midnight, everyone sets off fireworks from their balcony. it sounds like baghdad, tons of booming. then two friends came over, we hung out for a while, parents and all, and went to a party at 3:30 and stayed til after 6am. i'm going back for more of the same on new year's! i'm excited.
aren't we good dancers!
Last night was an impromptu party at my apartment, then we went to the lansky lounge. really fun. i'm still feeling the pain from that, and it's 9pm the next day.
here's the group on my balcony.
It's Talent from Kirgistan, Eliza and me, Edgardo, Tolga from New York (but turkish) and mariano from argentina.
and here's talent and alison (also from new york) two people whose mouths are always open - you can also see my air conditioner!
Tuesday, December 23, 2003
mucho christmas stuff here. in the stores, on radio and tv, etc.
but at least it all didn't start to emerge until it was actually december.
it is so, so odd to have xmas in the middle of summer. just very strange. papa noel/santa claus wears his same red wool suit. he must be really hot.
most jews here acknowledge xmas. they have a dinner party. i mean not the really religious ones, but the rest of them do. i myself will be going to a friend's house to festejar with his family. and i am VERY excited about it. apparently there's a lot of eating and drinking, things i am good at, and he says it's not religious at all, they don't go to church, have a tree, or even exchange presents. that's my kind of xmas. for all holidays, you celebrate by having dinner at home with your parents, then going out later with your friends. (like 1 or 2am!) new year's too. because i've told you how everyone lives at home with their parents until they get married. even if they're 30 years old. and you know what. they like it. nobody complains.
we saw the coolest tango show last night. it was called Plan B tango. it was some traditional tango numbers. some dancing to electronica tango like the go-tan project. some hip hop acrobatic breakdance type numbers. and some that were a mix of everything. the dancers were great and it was a fabulous really entertaining show.
but at least it all didn't start to emerge until it was actually december.
it is so, so odd to have xmas in the middle of summer. just very strange. papa noel/santa claus wears his same red wool suit. he must be really hot.
most jews here acknowledge xmas. they have a dinner party. i mean not the really religious ones, but the rest of them do. i myself will be going to a friend's house to festejar with his family. and i am VERY excited about it. apparently there's a lot of eating and drinking, things i am good at, and he says it's not religious at all, they don't go to church, have a tree, or even exchange presents. that's my kind of xmas. for all holidays, you celebrate by having dinner at home with your parents, then going out later with your friends. (like 1 or 2am!) new year's too. because i've told you how everyone lives at home with their parents until they get married. even if they're 30 years old. and you know what. they like it. nobody complains.
we saw the coolest tango show last night. it was called Plan B tango. it was some traditional tango numbers. some dancing to electronica tango like the go-tan project. some hip hop acrobatic breakdance type numbers. and some that were a mix of everything. the dancers were great and it was a fabulous really entertaining show.
Monday, December 22, 2003
funny story - friday i was at chabad for services. was talking to some people afterwards, and this guy came up to me. he said he was sure he met me before. i thought maybe we saw each other at chabad before, he looked sort of familiar and had an israeli accent. turns out he was on vacation from the states. we sat together at the dinner and talked, and figured out that we went out one night, months ago, among a group of people. our friends are friends. isn't that crazy? we saw "shanghai ghetto" and then went for drinks. what a coincidence to meet up again in buenos aires.
sunday we spent the day together, me, effie, and sarit his wife. i took them to my best restaurant finds and all around different neighborhoods, the recoleta cemetary, the san telmo fair, etc. we had a really fun day despite the big rainstorm we were caught in. we were browsing in a cute store in my neighborhood and i was looking at sarit's hat, and i thought, i know i've seen that hat before. it was a nyc marathon hat. i said, i saw someone wearing that hat on the ferry to uruguay. and it turns out it was effie! he was sitting across from us, with this british girl that we had met there too. i was sort of embarrassed because i was sleeping that entire ferry ride. and apparently i sleep with my mouth wide open. he said, that means we met three times in one year in three different countries. so crazy. the world is so small.
sunday we spent the day together, me, effie, and sarit his wife. i took them to my best restaurant finds and all around different neighborhoods, the recoleta cemetary, the san telmo fair, etc. we had a really fun day despite the big rainstorm we were caught in. we were browsing in a cute store in my neighborhood and i was looking at sarit's hat, and i thought, i know i've seen that hat before. it was a nyc marathon hat. i said, i saw someone wearing that hat on the ferry to uruguay. and it turns out it was effie! he was sitting across from us, with this british girl that we had met there too. i was sort of embarrassed because i was sleeping that entire ferry ride. and apparently i sleep with my mouth wide open. he said, that means we met three times in one year in three different countries. so crazy. the world is so small.
Friday, December 19, 2003
Wednesday, December 17, 2003
World event OBSERVER COLUMN The Financial Times
16 December 2003
When one of the 20th century's most infamous dictators is captured after an
eight-month manhunt led by the most powerful nation in the world, it is easy
to guess the top story in the next day's newspapers. Or is it?
Clarin, Argentina's leading daily, yesterday had a story so compelling that
it squeezed the news of Saddam's arrest into a basement slot even more
cramped than the former Iraqi leader's Tikrit rat hole.
"Boca world champions" exclaimed the top headline next to a large picture of
the Buenos Aires soccer team celebrating its victory over Milan in Sunday's
Intercontinental Cup.
16 December 2003
When one of the 20th century's most infamous dictators is captured after an
eight-month manhunt led by the most powerful nation in the world, it is easy
to guess the top story in the next day's newspapers. Or is it?
Clarin, Argentina's leading daily, yesterday had a story so compelling that
it squeezed the news of Saddam's arrest into a basement slot even more
cramped than the former Iraqi leader's Tikrit rat hole.
"Boca world champions" exclaimed the top headline next to a large picture of
the Buenos Aires soccer team celebrating its victory over Milan in Sunday's
Intercontinental Cup.
Tuesday, December 16, 2003
nprlistener: hey you know what. sometimes i answer the phone here
nprlistener: "HIAS" buenos tardes
nprlistener: i can't understand what they say, but usually there's a person's name in between the other words, then i just transfer them to that person.
nprlistener: it's not that hard!
jbasofin: they're probably saying "whatever you do, don't transfer me to enrico, my estranged husband".
nprlistener: lol
nprlistener: "HIAS" buenos tardes
nprlistener: i can't understand what they say, but usually there's a person's name in between the other words, then i just transfer them to that person.
nprlistener: it's not that hard!
jbasofin: they're probably saying "whatever you do, don't transfer me to enrico, my estranged husband".
nprlistener: lol
Monday, December 15, 2003
these are from the mataderos fair. Here's our friend Natalia, her mom's friend and Samir.
there was this sort of contest going on with horses, i didn't really understand it. gauchos were on horses and were racing down the street with a silver pencil thing and they would try to hook it though this gate at full gallop to get some sort of ring....i think?
A really nice gaucho let us snap a pic with him.
This is Eliza Samir and I at the hostel one night. And Samir and me and this other guy at lunch at this really cute restaurant in Colonia, Uruguay.
Eliza and I from the top of the lighthouse in Colonia. i am squinting because of the sun. Eliza and the view - in real life you can see Buenos Aires across the water, but not in the pic. The little town of Colonia. You can't see it, but there's a sign on that pink house that says "casa grande" (and that is en donde quepa tu corazon).
there was this sort of contest going on with horses, i didn't really understand it. gauchos were on horses and were racing down the street with a silver pencil thing and they would try to hook it though this gate at full gallop to get some sort of ring....i think?
A really nice gaucho let us snap a pic with him.
This is Eliza Samir and I at the hostel one night. And Samir and me and this other guy at lunch at this really cute restaurant in Colonia, Uruguay.
Eliza and I from the top of the lighthouse in Colonia. i am squinting because of the sun. Eliza and the view - in real life you can see Buenos Aires across the water, but not in the pic. The little town of Colonia. You can't see it, but there's a sign on that pink house that says "casa grande" (and that is en donde quepa tu corazon).
hey all. i am all settled in my new apartment and it is extremely comfortable and nice. it's everything i imagined, plus some lace doilies and plaid curtains on top of that. i've been having friends over to make dinner in my beautiful kitchen and drink wine on my fabulous balcony. saturday night i even had a visitor from my shul in washington. AND i happened to have some kosher wine to give her and her friends. pero falta un kippah, benchers, and a mezuzah. still need some final touches to make it my own.
lately eliza and i think it's really funny to translate the false cognates back into english and use them in sentences. like, am i molesting you? that bus doesn't serve me. etc.
i put up some pics but i can't encounter (amiga falsa!) any software here to edit them so they are big.
we have our oral exam for spanish class on friday. followed by written on monday. everyone in my class seems very preoccupied (false cognate!) by it but i am not.
the other morning, i was awakened by shouts and honks and general mayhem from the street. as i am on the 14th floor, it must have been pretty loud! do you know what happened? the most popular soccer team in buenos aires, boca juniors, won some sort of world championship. they were playing in japan, hence the early morning celebrations. this whole town is painted in boca yellow and blue. they begrudgingly give the sadam hussein story, like, two column inches in the paper but you can tell they'd rather use that space for what the boca guys had for breakfast this morning.
lately eliza and i think it's really funny to translate the false cognates back into english and use them in sentences. like, am i molesting you? that bus doesn't serve me. etc.
i put up some pics but i can't encounter (amiga falsa!) any software here to edit them so they are big.
we have our oral exam for spanish class on friday. followed by written on monday. everyone in my class seems very preoccupied (false cognate!) by it but i am not.
the other morning, i was awakened by shouts and honks and general mayhem from the street. as i am on the 14th floor, it must have been pretty loud! do you know what happened? the most popular soccer team in buenos aires, boca juniors, won some sort of world championship. they were playing in japan, hence the early morning celebrations. this whole town is painted in boca yellow and blue. they begrudgingly give the sadam hussein story, like, two column inches in the paper but you can tell they'd rather use that space for what the boca guys had for breakfast this morning.
Thursday, December 11, 2003
Perdimos el barco.
That means we missed the boat. literally.
but we're going tomorrow, although that seriously interferes with my moving.
and tonight samir and i are going to this famous steak restaurant:
Vegetarians should stay well away from the classic San Telmo Parrilla 1880 where for decades patrons have relished lean pampas-fed meat - try a bife de chorizo and a bottle of beefy Malbec.
yeah vegetarians! you hear that? stay away!
That means we missed the boat. literally.
but we're going tomorrow, although that seriously interferes with my moving.
and tonight samir and i are going to this famous steak restaurant:
Vegetarians should stay well away from the classic San Telmo Parrilla 1880 where for decades patrons have relished lean pampas-fed meat - try a bife de chorizo and a bottle of beefy Malbec.
yeah vegetarians! you hear that? stay away!
Wednesday, December 10, 2003
i'm going to uruguay tomorrow!
recently, i barely knew where uruguay was. and now i'm going to colonia, uruguay just for the day.
and friday, i get to move! que feliz! goodbye cucarachas. hasta luego!
recently, i barely knew where uruguay was. and now i'm going to colonia, uruguay just for the day.
and friday, i get to move! que feliz! goodbye cucarachas. hasta luego!
Tuesday, December 09, 2003
it was a holiday weekend here, and it was a rager for me. i'm not going to do that again for a while. i say that every week though!
last week samir arrived at the hostel, he's someone i met on lonely planet and suggested the hostel for him. he's canadian and he seems to fit in quite well. his mom is colombian and his dad is indian. friday night i went to dinner with rodrigo my salsa partner, then he took me to this cool tango club called la catedral and then to azucar where we danced salsa until 5:30am. he knows everyone at all the clubs. and he always introduces me to everyone. because i'm so shy in spanish, esp. at clubs when it's hard to hear people anyway. but he won't let me just stand against the wall. and he says to them, if you speak slowly to her, she'll understand you. it's so considerate of him.
saturday samir and i walked around and found this awesome restaurant called lele de troya. it has a bunch of different rooms, each funky and full of candles a different color. some tables have loveseats as chairs, or beds, or just flat cushions. we ate on the roof which was a beautiful terrace with lots of plants and an open kitchen. we spent hours there and solved the world's problems and each other's. then we got ice cream and i took him to la viruta, my favorite tango club. back home at 4:30am.
sunday we went to this fair where they sell artesenal stuff from the campo, the countryside. it's supposed to be one of the best fairs. it was good. i have to go there again next weekend, my school is having an outing. sunday night was the end of the year graduation party of my language school, which is a branch of the University of Buenos Aires. we went with our friends natalia and edgardo, argentines who learn english and german there. first we went to a mexican restaurant and ate burritos and drank wine. then to the club, and we stayed until almost 6am, then we went for cafe con leche and croissants (medialunas)! i got home at 8 fully not tired at all.
yesterday edgardo and i saw jinete de ballenas, whale jockey. or, whale rider. he hated it! i thought it was good though. then we went to a cafe and had panqueques con dulce de leche, these flat crepe things filled with dulce de leche. yuck! so sweet. ugh. plus they sprinkle sugar on top and broil it. so like, if they're not sweet enough as is.
this morning i had to kill an enormous cockroach just to gain entry to the bathroom. my sneaker is still on top of it. i'm scared to move the sneaker. i hope the maid comes today.
last week samir arrived at the hostel, he's someone i met on lonely planet and suggested the hostel for him. he's canadian and he seems to fit in quite well. his mom is colombian and his dad is indian. friday night i went to dinner with rodrigo my salsa partner, then he took me to this cool tango club called la catedral and then to azucar where we danced salsa until 5:30am. he knows everyone at all the clubs. and he always introduces me to everyone. because i'm so shy in spanish, esp. at clubs when it's hard to hear people anyway. but he won't let me just stand against the wall. and he says to them, if you speak slowly to her, she'll understand you. it's so considerate of him.
saturday samir and i walked around and found this awesome restaurant called lele de troya. it has a bunch of different rooms, each funky and full of candles a different color. some tables have loveseats as chairs, or beds, or just flat cushions. we ate on the roof which was a beautiful terrace with lots of plants and an open kitchen. we spent hours there and solved the world's problems and each other's. then we got ice cream and i took him to la viruta, my favorite tango club. back home at 4:30am.
sunday we went to this fair where they sell artesenal stuff from the campo, the countryside. it's supposed to be one of the best fairs. it was good. i have to go there again next weekend, my school is having an outing. sunday night was the end of the year graduation party of my language school, which is a branch of the University of Buenos Aires. we went with our friends natalia and edgardo, argentines who learn english and german there. first we went to a mexican restaurant and ate burritos and drank wine. then to the club, and we stayed until almost 6am, then we went for cafe con leche and croissants (medialunas)! i got home at 8 fully not tired at all.
yesterday edgardo and i saw jinete de ballenas, whale jockey. or, whale rider. he hated it! i thought it was good though. then we went to a cafe and had panqueques con dulce de leche, these flat crepe things filled with dulce de leche. yuck! so sweet. ugh. plus they sprinkle sugar on top and broil it. so like, if they're not sweet enough as is.
this morning i had to kill an enormous cockroach just to gain entry to the bathroom. my sneaker is still on top of it. i'm scared to move the sneaker. i hope the maid comes today.
Saturday, December 06, 2003
Hello, i am still in this hostel, and kind of bummed, because they just told me that it will be another week. i went to visit the apt. today and talked to the painter. i don't know why it takes a week to paint it, it's not so big. but i'm glad they're painting it because right now it is pink.
in the meantime, inessa sent some pics of the brazil/argentina extravaganza. here are some highlights. the first is our friend fabio, flavio, what was that guy's name again? that we met at one of the beachside huts in copacabana.
This is Leah at the botanical garden in Rio...beautiful.
Back in Buenos Aires, Leah with a Carlos Gardel "statue" at the Sunday fair in San Telmo.
Us posing in front of the Law School, which is attached to the side of the Supreme Court building. this was a day when they were holding student elections, which are very important and are made up of the same parties that the government is made up of. you can see the signs in the background.
in the meantime, inessa sent some pics of the brazil/argentina extravaganza. here are some highlights. the first is our friend fabio, flavio, what was that guy's name again? that we met at one of the beachside huts in copacabana.
This is Leah at the botanical garden in Rio...beautiful.
Back in Buenos Aires, Leah with a Carlos Gardel "statue" at the Sunday fair in San Telmo.
Us posing in front of the Law School, which is attached to the side of the Supreme Court building. this was a day when they were holding student elections, which are very important and are made up of the same parties that the government is made up of. you can see the signs in the background.
Tuesday, December 02, 2003
well i suppose we're heading into the xmas season but it sure doesn't feel like it here. the weather is very warm, though not yet oppressively hot. and the xmas paraphernalia is refreshingly low-key. no xmas carols on store sound systems. hardly any decorations, and no jesus stories at all. yesterday eliza and i walked all around a shopping street and did not encounter any xmas cards for her at all. it's pretty nice. i think that's why i moved here.
today i had my first private spanish lesson. i signed up for extra essons with my teacher with my birthday money. (thanks you guys!) it was good, i'm looking forward to more.
tonight i am meeting a guy that the women at HIAS set me up with. he is religious and suggested we meet at a shopping mall downtown which i happen to know has a kosher mcdonald's. so, i guess it's tuesday night in the food court. woo-hoo. i had another cita ciego (blind date) saturday night. that guy worked for a german company and got paid in US dollars. took me to a really nice restaurant in a very fashionable neighborhood, las cañitas, then to the best ice cream place in the city. he was so nice. but you know....no chispa.
let's see..what else have i been doing....sunday i went to see an argentinian movie called Bar el Chino. i liked it a lot but i only understood a small amount. it's about a bar that is owned by el chino, who isn't chinese. and he dies, during the film or a long time ago, i don't know. a young reporter girl comes to film a singer who's performing there and falls in love with the bar and wants to film a documentary about it. then the crisis happens, and there's no money for the film. i recommend it if it's ever showing in your pueblo, with subtitles. i also want to see el amor cuesta caro, with george clooney and catherine zeta-jones, forgot what it was in english. has anyone seen that one?
moving in a couple of days. very psyched for that. also had an unfortunate headlice incident this week. i'm trying to put that behind me.
today i had my first private spanish lesson. i signed up for extra essons with my teacher with my birthday money. (thanks you guys!) it was good, i'm looking forward to more.
tonight i am meeting a guy that the women at HIAS set me up with. he is religious and suggested we meet at a shopping mall downtown which i happen to know has a kosher mcdonald's. so, i guess it's tuesday night in the food court. woo-hoo. i had another cita ciego (blind date) saturday night. that guy worked for a german company and got paid in US dollars. took me to a really nice restaurant in a very fashionable neighborhood, las cañitas, then to the best ice cream place in the city. he was so nice. but you know....no chispa.
let's see..what else have i been doing....sunday i went to see an argentinian movie called Bar el Chino. i liked it a lot but i only understood a small amount. it's about a bar that is owned by el chino, who isn't chinese. and he dies, during the film or a long time ago, i don't know. a young reporter girl comes to film a singer who's performing there and falls in love with the bar and wants to film a documentary about it. then the crisis happens, and there's no money for the film. i recommend it if it's ever showing in your pueblo, with subtitles. i also want to see el amor cuesta caro, with george clooney and catherine zeta-jones, forgot what it was in english. has anyone seen that one?
moving in a couple of days. very psyched for that. also had an unfortunate headlice incident this week. i'm trying to put that behind me.
