A little girl at the place I work at got Carlos, one of the workers there, to ask me what the writing on her shorts meant - it said "Girls League" in cursive pink writing. Which helped bring me to the conclusion that people here love to wear shirts that have English words on them, without knowing what those words mean.
Ejemplo - I saw a shirt that was like the following...
SONG:
ARTIST:
DATE:
ALBUM:
in big neon letters, each word a different colour. A little weird, I think.
Some of my other favourites:
I THOUGHT THAT I COULD GIVE IT ONE MORE CHANCE
LOVE IS A LUCKY GAME
HELLO, I LOVE YOU
and, my personal favourite
I KNOW JACK!
This all got me to thinking of a couple shirts I had from Bluenotes when I was in high school that had Chinese (or something) characters on them. For all I know I had been walking around Graydon sporting clothes that said EAT A PILLOW.
26.11.08
25.11.08
Homesickness (And Other Third World Illnesses)
So Córdoba has been really awesome thus far, although I spent the weekend in Mendoza (another nice little city in Argentina), so I haven't spent too much time here. When I first arrived, I think I caught a good bout of homesickness, but I think I found the cause. In Buenos Aires I had so many things to do and to distract myself with, whereas Córdoba is much more relaxed, there are plenty of things to see and do, but it's not as busy as BA and I'm also not living in a residence with tons of other students in the heart of the city. I'm living with a sweet old lady out on the west side of the city, off the city tourism map in fact.
But now that I've met some people and found some things to do, I think I'm okay. The people here are really really nice. I even got to meet the young woman who helped me coordinate my trip by email when I was organizing things back in Canadá.
However, homesickness is not the only disease that has been going around. Last Tuesday I caught some sort of physical ill-feeling from eating a sandwich in the food court of the mall by my house, which I vomited up early the next morning. I told my host abuela (grandma) about it and she said that contaminated, unfresh meat is a problem in Argentina, so I should purchase the cenar (supper) plan with her, which I have done. I had my first meal by her last night and it was delicious. So illnesses cured there...
As for my volunteer work, I have been working for about a week now in an after-school program for underprivileged kids. I've done stuff like draw pictures with them, teach basketball and soccer, and drink tea/sugary milk with them (they love putting sugar in milk in Argentina, which ironically seems to taste sweeter than their chocolate milk). It's an absolute blast and they are all really friendly with me, even though they sometimes get mad when I don't give them exactly what they want... but of course Canadian kids never do thaaat.
It is kinda sad that their soccer field has a lot of garbage all over it and that one of the kids (I noticed this yesterday when he smiled in my face - that's exactly how it sounds) had a huge black mark on one of his front teeth, which I assume is a cavity. And other kids have scratches and marks on their faces that have been there for days. But at the same time, when these kids are kicking around a soccer ball they are having a blast and they love trying to play tricks on me cuz I don't speak their language very well... which is fun. It is. Confusing, but fun, and it makes them happy. On Friday they had heard someone playing a rap song on their car radio or something and were all asking me "Qué signifique 'mothafucka'?" I just told them don't worry it's a mal palabra (bad word). Then of course a few of them tried to make me say some mal palabras... oh kids.
Oh yeah and sorry Mom'n'Dad I didn't tell you about the getting sick and stuff, I didn't want you to worry. I'm fine now. Más o menos.
But now that I've met some people and found some things to do, I think I'm okay. The people here are really really nice. I even got to meet the young woman who helped me coordinate my trip by email when I was organizing things back in Canadá.
However, homesickness is not the only disease that has been going around. Last Tuesday I caught some sort of physical ill-feeling from eating a sandwich in the food court of the mall by my house, which I vomited up early the next morning. I told my host abuela (grandma) about it and she said that contaminated, unfresh meat is a problem in Argentina, so I should purchase the cenar (supper) plan with her, which I have done. I had my first meal by her last night and it was delicious. So illnesses cured there...
As for my volunteer work, I have been working for about a week now in an after-school program for underprivileged kids. I've done stuff like draw pictures with them, teach basketball and soccer, and drink tea/sugary milk with them (they love putting sugar in milk in Argentina, which ironically seems to taste sweeter than their chocolate milk). It's an absolute blast and they are all really friendly with me, even though they sometimes get mad when I don't give them exactly what they want... but of course Canadian kids never do thaaat.
It is kinda sad that their soccer field has a lot of garbage all over it and that one of the kids (I noticed this yesterday when he smiled in my face - that's exactly how it sounds) had a huge black mark on one of his front teeth, which I assume is a cavity. And other kids have scratches and marks on their faces that have been there for days. But at the same time, when these kids are kicking around a soccer ball they are having a blast and they love trying to play tricks on me cuz I don't speak their language very well... which is fun. It is. Confusing, but fun, and it makes them happy. On Friday they had heard someone playing a rap song on their car radio or something and were all asking me "Qué signifique 'mothafucka'?" I just told them don't worry it's a mal palabra (bad word). Then of course a few of them tried to make me say some mal palabras... oh kids.
Oh yeah and sorry Mom'n'Dad I didn't tell you about the getting sick and stuff, I didn't want you to worry. I'm fine now. Más o menos.
18.11.08
Hola Córdoba!
I feel like this warranted a separate post, so if you come to this one, read the one below it before you read this. Assuming you care to follow along my exploits to a chronological T...
Córdoba is really nice. There are lush green trees along the sidewalks, a really nice city center, still a plentitude of bars and places to go, while still remaining más tranquilo (more tranquil) than crazy-ass Buenos Aires. The drivers here are still crazy, just un poco menos loco. If there's one stereotype I'd give Argentines it's that they have a Jekyll'n'Hyde thing going on with driving - they are wonderful, nice people on the sidewalks and in buildings but when they are in cars they can be nuckin' FUTS! Gas, break, honk! Gas, break, honk! Honk, honk, punch! Gas, gas, gas...
Anywho, I've been here for a couple days now, I start my volunteering tomorrow (I'm gonna teach the kids soccer & basketball!) and everything so far looks like it's gonna be really nice. My host family (which, as most host families consist of, is an old woman) is really nice and kind, as is my Swedish roommate Joanne.
Anywho, I don't really have anything witty or inspirational to say. I'm not even gonna attempt.
Hasta luego, chicos!
Córdoba is really nice. There are lush green trees along the sidewalks, a really nice city center, still a plentitude of bars and places to go, while still remaining más tranquilo (more tranquil) than crazy-ass Buenos Aires. The drivers here are still crazy, just un poco menos loco. If there's one stereotype I'd give Argentines it's that they have a Jekyll'n'Hyde thing going on with driving - they are wonderful, nice people on the sidewalks and in buildings but when they are in cars they can be nuckin' FUTS! Gas, break, honk! Gas, break, honk! Honk, honk, punch! Gas, gas, gas...
Anywho, I've been here for a couple days now, I start my volunteering tomorrow (I'm gonna teach the kids soccer & basketball!) and everything so far looks like it's gonna be really nice. My host family (which, as most host families consist of, is an old woman) is really nice and kind, as is my Swedish roommate Joanne.
Anywho, I don't really have anything witty or inspirational to say. I'm not even gonna attempt.
Hasta luego, chicos!
11.11.08
OooOOOooh, Third World, boogity boogity boogity
I started writing this on Remembrance Day (does that mean anything?) but then got distracted by friends going out for Thai food and then one thing led to another and another and all of a sudden it's exactly a week later and I'm in Córdoba.
So before I came to this crazy-go-awesome country, I got a lot of warnings, especially in respect to living in Buenos Aires. The main reason I'm in BA for 4 (instead of 8) weeks is because the volunteer work I had signed up for was in a "dangerous area" with a lot of violence and crime, etc etc. And I'm not saying they were wrong... at least about that. And there definitely is violence and crime but I feel that it just must not be directed in my direction. Although that said other people I have met have experienced being mugged or what-have-ye. But I feel like the closest I got to being robbed was having two guys on the street bargain me for money. First asking if I could give them a peso or two, then saying two pesos each, then asking for one more (5 pesos for a pizza), and then saying "5 or 10?" to which I responded "my limit is 5", as if I were an ATM telling a customer they were overdrawing their daily withdrawal limit.
My point is, I guess, that although Argentina is a third world country, and Buenos Aires is the capital of this third world country, I feel like these definitions can be misleading. Violence and crime is a problem, but only in certain areas and only for certain people. For a city where it was almost expected that I get mugged or pickpocketed at least once, as part of the experience, it is a very pleasant city with a lot of wonderful people who are willing to help me when I get lost. Interesting sidebar: it's considered rude here to just say "No sé (I dunno)" when someone asks you for directions, so people will give directions even if they do not know, just cuz they wanna help. Also interesting, when I was introduced to the kids at my volunteer placement, it was considered polite and mandatory for me to exchange un beso (a kiss) on the cheek, which is considered molestation back home.
So I'm sort of stuck here wondering... is it that things have changed/improved since my Argentine contacts have immigrated to Canada? Or is it just that I'm not seeing something that they know? Certainly, I do see the poverty, what with the people who were rifling through my residence's trash when I'd come out at night, or the little girls frowning and holding out their hands on the streets and in the subway stations, or the people sleeping on rugs or garbage bags in the middle of a crowded street, etc. But I wonder if maybe people overshot themselves with the violence. I am sure there are violent areas. I've steered clear of them at night. I went to La Boca to see a soccer game and eat and drink maté afterwards, but we left the area before sundown. And I never visited the suburbs I was warned about. But I can't help but wondering if this is the same as people warning me about the dangerous city of Halifax because they heard of stabbings in The Commons, or the dangerous city of Toronto because they heard a gunshot in Regent Park. I dunno...
Oh and by the way, Mom & Dad, apparently my residence was located in a dangerous dirty area of town, according to a porteño I met at a party. Ah well. Maybe I'll get mugged when I return to BA for a weekend next month. ¿Here's hoping?
So before I came to this crazy-go-awesome country, I got a lot of warnings, especially in respect to living in Buenos Aires. The main reason I'm in BA for 4 (instead of 8) weeks is because the volunteer work I had signed up for was in a "dangerous area" with a lot of violence and crime, etc etc. And I'm not saying they were wrong... at least about that. And there definitely is violence and crime but I feel that it just must not be directed in my direction. Although that said other people I have met have experienced being mugged or what-have-ye. But I feel like the closest I got to being robbed was having two guys on the street bargain me for money. First asking if I could give them a peso or two, then saying two pesos each, then asking for one more (5 pesos for a pizza), and then saying "5 or 10?" to which I responded "my limit is 5", as if I were an ATM telling a customer they were overdrawing their daily withdrawal limit.
My point is, I guess, that although Argentina is a third world country, and Buenos Aires is the capital of this third world country, I feel like these definitions can be misleading. Violence and crime is a problem, but only in certain areas and only for certain people. For a city where it was almost expected that I get mugged or pickpocketed at least once, as part of the experience, it is a very pleasant city with a lot of wonderful people who are willing to help me when I get lost. Interesting sidebar: it's considered rude here to just say "No sé (I dunno)" when someone asks you for directions, so people will give directions even if they do not know, just cuz they wanna help. Also interesting, when I was introduced to the kids at my volunteer placement, it was considered polite and mandatory for me to exchange un beso (a kiss) on the cheek, which is considered molestation back home.
So I'm sort of stuck here wondering... is it that things have changed/improved since my Argentine contacts have immigrated to Canada? Or is it just that I'm not seeing something that they know? Certainly, I do see the poverty, what with the people who were rifling through my residence's trash when I'd come out at night, or the little girls frowning and holding out their hands on the streets and in the subway stations, or the people sleeping on rugs or garbage bags in the middle of a crowded street, etc. But I wonder if maybe people overshot themselves with the violence. I am sure there are violent areas. I've steered clear of them at night. I went to La Boca to see a soccer game and eat and drink maté afterwards, but we left the area before sundown. And I never visited the suburbs I was warned about. But I can't help but wondering if this is the same as people warning me about the dangerous city of Halifax because they heard of stabbings in The Commons, or the dangerous city of Toronto because they heard a gunshot in Regent Park. I dunno...
Oh and by the way, Mom & Dad, apparently my residence was located in a dangerous dirty area of town, according to a porteño I met at a party. Ah well. Maybe I'll get mugged when I return to BA for a weekend next month. ¿Here's hoping?
5.11.08
Criss-Crossing Cultures
Yesterday I did a kinda peculiar thing. I went to lunch at this place that was recommended to me by my Lonely Planet Buenos Aires' guide. I ended up reading a book about Afghanistan while eating in a French restaurant. In Argentina. Quite a mix. It actually confused me a bit because it's an intense, enveloping story, so when I left the restaurant I started equating Buenos Aires with Afghanistan. And although this city has its problems, it's nowhere near anything like Afghanistan.
But the activity itself got me thinking about my multi-cultural/cross-cultural experience here. Back in Mississauga, things are multi-cultural, I have friends from places all over Asia and went to high school with a lot of kids who were first-generation Canadians. But here I feel like I get a much more intense multi-cultural experience because everyone here is first-generation from a place that is not Canada. True, the residence has a couple Americans, there's another one in my class, and a few others at the school, but mostly people are here from all over Europe and Brazil. In my two weeks here, I have met people at the school here from Brazil, England, Ireland, Germany, Russia, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Switzerland, Trinidad, Israel, and the US. And I also met a backpacker from Australia. And most of all, Holland. So many Dutch people. Like maybe... half the people in the residence. I love it.
And it's really interesting because in Canada, although I get to see people expressing their own customs, like going to mosque and wearing hijabs and stuff, I still get the feeling they all interact in a Canadian way. We all adopt the same sort of Canadian/North American way of interacting and appreciation of culture (both pop and regular kind), whereas here we I feel we really share & mix our different ways and cultures. Whenever a Canadian pop icon comes on TV or on a radio, I point it out. And other people introduce to each other their favourite movies, stories, and sayings from their country. It was interesting just to make note of the differences in culture between England and North America by arguing which version of The Office is better. I did not argue in favour of the French-Canadian one.
One thing that does seem to unite everyone is the influence of American culture (again, both pop and regular). Everyone here has seen the major American movies, listens to American music (and sometimes Canadian music - I had a cab driver last night who said one of his favourites is Neil Young), and followed, to some extent, the American election. I'll just give a brief "WOOO! OBAMA!" and say little more. I'm glad he won, as is everyone here, except maybe Hadar, my Israeli friend. She said she wasn't sure because she feels like McCain will be more supportive of Israel. But the point remains that even in Argentina the election was a big deal. TV channels followed how Latin Americans in the US were voting, what the trends were, and what it would mean for Argentina. And the Latin American channels all have American shows & movies with Spanish subtitles or dubbed over. It's funny seeing Will Smith talk with a distinct Argentine accent. When I was in line at the bank waiting to pay for my Brazil tourist visa (which I think is a big enough tale to save for a post on its own), I was talking to this guy from Miami who was saying that he had learned in his Latin American culture class here about all the influence that the US has had on Argentine politics. The American influence both overpowers and unites people here, at the same time.
It's also fun to see how people of all different cultures here are united by their own hopes and aspirations and anxieties. Just this afternoon I was talking to my Swedish friend (of Iranian heritage) Sadaf and my French friend Rafaele about our interests and career aspirations. And I like that the whole "quarter-life crisis" (a term coined, yo creo, by Tomas Hachard) is universal across all cultures. A lot of people here, the ones who are staying for two months or more (some people are gonna be here for almost a year!), are taking a break from university, are here for a university course, have just graduated university (me!), or are here in lieu of university. So we share being in the same boat and going through the same things and making the same jokes.
We are all so diverse and similar at the same time. And that's my public message for the day.
P.S. A conversation I had on the way to the computer with my friend Peter from Denmark, who has a thick Danish accent:
Me: I had to take a freezing cold shower just to cool off.
Peter: Because you are so hot?
Me: Yeah exactly. So hot.
(Pause.)
Peter: I hope you noticed I was kidding.
Even wit travels across cultures.
But the activity itself got me thinking about my multi-cultural/cross-cultural experience here. Back in Mississauga, things are multi-cultural, I have friends from places all over Asia and went to high school with a lot of kids who were first-generation Canadians. But here I feel like I get a much more intense multi-cultural experience because everyone here is first-generation from a place that is not Canada. True, the residence has a couple Americans, there's another one in my class, and a few others at the school, but mostly people are here from all over Europe and Brazil. In my two weeks here, I have met people at the school here from Brazil, England, Ireland, Germany, Russia, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Switzerland, Trinidad, Israel, and the US. And I also met a backpacker from Australia. And most of all, Holland. So many Dutch people. Like maybe... half the people in the residence. I love it.
And it's really interesting because in Canada, although I get to see people expressing their own customs, like going to mosque and wearing hijabs and stuff, I still get the feeling they all interact in a Canadian way. We all adopt the same sort of Canadian/North American way of interacting and appreciation of culture (both pop and regular kind), whereas here we I feel we really share & mix our different ways and cultures. Whenever a Canadian pop icon comes on TV or on a radio, I point it out. And other people introduce to each other their favourite movies, stories, and sayings from their country. It was interesting just to make note of the differences in culture between England and North America by arguing which version of The Office is better. I did not argue in favour of the French-Canadian one.
One thing that does seem to unite everyone is the influence of American culture (again, both pop and regular). Everyone here has seen the major American movies, listens to American music (and sometimes Canadian music - I had a cab driver last night who said one of his favourites is Neil Young), and followed, to some extent, the American election. I'll just give a brief "WOOO! OBAMA!" and say little more. I'm glad he won, as is everyone here, except maybe Hadar, my Israeli friend. She said she wasn't sure because she feels like McCain will be more supportive of Israel. But the point remains that even in Argentina the election was a big deal. TV channels followed how Latin Americans in the US were voting, what the trends were, and what it would mean for Argentina. And the Latin American channels all have American shows & movies with Spanish subtitles or dubbed over. It's funny seeing Will Smith talk with a distinct Argentine accent. When I was in line at the bank waiting to pay for my Brazil tourist visa (which I think is a big enough tale to save for a post on its own), I was talking to this guy from Miami who was saying that he had learned in his Latin American culture class here about all the influence that the US has had on Argentine politics. The American influence both overpowers and unites people here, at the same time.
It's also fun to see how people of all different cultures here are united by their own hopes and aspirations and anxieties. Just this afternoon I was talking to my Swedish friend (of Iranian heritage) Sadaf and my French friend Rafaele about our interests and career aspirations. And I like that the whole "quarter-life crisis" (a term coined, yo creo, by Tomas Hachard) is universal across all cultures. A lot of people here, the ones who are staying for two months or more (some people are gonna be here for almost a year!), are taking a break from university, are here for a university course, have just graduated university (me!), or are here in lieu of university. So we share being in the same boat and going through the same things and making the same jokes.
We are all so diverse and similar at the same time. And that's my public message for the day.
P.S. A conversation I had on the way to the computer with my friend Peter from Denmark, who has a thick Danish accent:
Me: I had to take a freezing cold shower just to cool off.
Peter: Because you are so hot?
Me: Yeah exactly. So hot.
(Pause.)
Peter: I hope you noticed I was kidding.
Even wit travels across cultures.
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