Sunday, May 31, 2009

Saturday

, rainy, was spent inside between homework, fafsa, hmm... I could actually list what I did as I have my list with about 1/2 of it checked off
and intermittently talking (listening to), eating, drinking tea with Greta my Argentine host mom. She told me about how they had a French prisoner working in their garden during WW2 and how well they got along. She told me about how she lived on the beach in Italy for two years (I suspect she was a socialite partier back in her youth, she still pretty much is). She's leaving a month before I go to Rio so that she can go off to Europe to visit her friends. I'll be alone with the maid. :-) (she bought me a t-shirt for my birthday)

I decided this night was going to be spent alone, in front of my computer, listening to Koran recitations, with a bottle of Syrah. Instead I spent it with Angela. I called her, we talked for two hours. She told me about everything in her life, including how she's still with H despited H's dad going into DIABETIC SHOCK when he found out H is dating a non-muslim (angela). He literally had to be taken to Kuwait to be treated in a hospital there because it was so severe. Crazy. But anyway, they're still together, both incredibly busy and both apparently in love.
I like it when these Cairo moments come back to envelop my life for a few hours.

After this, I was semi-summoned by M to go to el fidel, a club on Costa Rica street where Marny was celebrating her birthday with about four other people. This was fun, For once I didn't mind so many Americans. Got a decent amount of dancing in and some good socializing including a rather heartfelt bus-conversation about what's behind us and what hopefully lies ahead.
Random quote of the night as a boy and a girl were talking/making out: boy says: "this is definitely something I don't want to get called about tomorrow".




Turtle. my obsession.

Saturday, May 30, 2009

Gallery Nights (gallery crawl with free Champaign)

Chilled at the Gran Victoria, a café on plaza de Mayo for about four hours. Worked on periodismo interview and emails, bureaucratic necessities. One noteworthy happening, one of two business men sitting next to me ordered a delicious plate of ham sandwiches and left it untouched. So with the approval of my waitress, I helped myself to a not only delicious, but free snack. Then, I walked over to starbucks and 'squatted' (as they say in French) their internet. I briefly talked to a girl who was sitting across from me as she got up to go to a finance class at San Andres. She was reading a book in French. She's actually from Quebec. Only smiles were exchanged but maybe we'll run into each other again in this vast world of expat francophones.

Then,
E texted me to go to Gallery nights.

Gallery Nights.
Gallery Nights takes place in recoleta near retiro the last Friday of every month. In this location there is a high concentration of art galleries.
The idea of Gallery Nights is similar to that of the 'bar crawl' concept. A few exceptions though: the bars are art galleries, and the only alcohol is Champagne which, might I mention –thanks to our wonderful sponsor, Chandon– is free. One small cup per gallery, times oooh, maybe, twenty galleries, and one gets rather 'trashed' if such a term is appropriate for such a high class, bon chic bon genre, event.

Our last stop was the lobby of some sort of corporate headquarters. Here they were exposing art from the Salta region in the north west. The particularly remarkable characteristic of Salta's art is its empanadas... umm... I mean landscapes and traditional scenes...

Oh, and not to forget, some of the art galleries were quite good.


After this, I went home, ate again. Then went our again even though I was way too drunk. Sobered up by the time I arrived at la viarua, the armenia cultural center which converts itself into the late night (breakfast served at 6am) tango hub of the world.
Had a nice time with D from UIUC, talking about his various DiTella conquests and dancing with E, M's current target (although if she was, he should have gotten there a little earlier).
Only stayed til 4 though. took the 140 home and passed out after watching just a little bit more of "Eva Perón" –a pretty decent movie so far.

I need to understand why I feel the need to use initials instead of real names. Not sure why I do that.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

street party




(pre)pictures from Sunday night's street party

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

awesome way to meet someone

Saturday around 6pm, I was located in the rugby stadium of CASI about 30 minutes north of BA, in San Isidro, probably the nicest suburb of Buenos Aires.
because I'm still on bad terms with G, I hung out with the typical american dudes, which is always 100% guaranteed fun. This is mostly due to the baseness of our conversation, something I am absolutely fine with. Among this group, I met a quiet, friendly guy named Eric. I will now attempt to best recount the first 60 seconds of our encounter.

My mouth was stuffed with a delicious choripan. We shake hands. Eric asks me what my name is. Because my mouth was stuffed with a delicious choripan, and because I have a rather difficult name to understand which usually requires immediate explanation, and because I try to stay close to the principle of not talking with my mouth full, I began to gesticulate in a series of attempts to signal to Eric, that he give me "his spiel" while I finish my current mouthful.
So he begins to talk, "umm... yea, so i'm Eric, i go to school in Minnesota, I'm from Southbend, Indiana..."
suddenly, my mouth is empty enough to blurt out "oh, I lost my virginity to a girl from Southbend, Indiana!"
He kept his cool (a normal person would have just walked away) and asked who that girl was.
At this point I had already said too much so I told him who it was.

He knows her. He went to her graduation party. I guess southbend is pretty small after all...

anyway, Eric finding out who I first had sex with was the first thing he found out about me.

Next time I'll just chew my food and stick to my name.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

El Camarín de las Musas


A picture from possibly the best café in all of Buenos Aires, the café in front of 'El Camarín de las Musas'.

Monday, May 25, 2009

fin de

Sorry it's been a little while since I last posted.
G's been better after being in bed for three days. She lost four kilos and the doctors have no idea what was wrong with her. All better now.

it's been really warm here.

I've been going out way too much, four days in a row, which equates to an inverse amount of sleep... The whole weekend seems like a blur... but it was very fun. I went out to milongas friday and sunday night.

met some french/belgians at the friday night milonga (la catedral) and chilled with them until 6am.

went to an ifsa party saturday night in a house bc someone's host family was away. that was really fun and i discovered white russians, my new favorite drink. 1 part vodka, 1 part kahlua, 1 part whole milk. just a great time with Max and Eric, as usual. Learned some invaluable mixing techniques from e who has his bar tending license...

not a huge amount of homework though... but was decently productive.

oh, and today, monday is a holiday, the Argentine equivalent of independence day. One is supposed to eat chocolate to celebrate, it's the tradition :-) (wish I had some cote d'or... moans...)

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Palermo by night


An eerie autumn night in Palermo, Buenos Aires.

El Milion


This is a picture of the room on the 2nd floor between the bar and the living room in the mansion called "El Milion"

Lunes

hmm... did anything interesting happen today?

I ate a "la ventanita de Belgrano", a homely neighborhood parilla. Their main ingredient is meat but I like their salad too. I had an 'ensalada completa' with a choripan sandwich.

Next time I go back, perhaps next week, I'm getting a steak. I feel like feeling for a steak, next week.
But yes, la ventanita is very desirable. The only waiter there usually takes 10 minutes to get to you after hailing him, but it's just really good, simple, cheap. I'd say, as was once so well put, it's the place to go to hang out with the workfolk, (along with business men and snobby Di Tella kids)
read some borges, had desarrollo economico. Emilio, our professor looked extra pissed and a tad bit depressed today, enough for G to notice it and for him to let us out 15 mintutes early (he once stopped class for 15 minutes and yelled at kids for being late (the first and only time they were ever late)).
hmm... G and I have a favorite pass time in class which is commenting on Emilio. He has a HUGEly muscular build for his size, so that he bulks around when hulking around in front of the board. His moments are deliberately slow, and clearly he works out too much. Once he scratched his leg and G and I were in awe at the size of his calf muscle.
I think Argentine Economists have their version of Chuck Norris jokes using Emilio.
actually, now i realize, another reason G and I need to stop THINKING about being friends with Flor (one of the cute, smart girls in this class) is that we can gossip with her about Emilio and get her female point of view. I'll run this past G and maybe we'll grow some hair on our chests by Wednesday.

After that we hung out in the library for a bit where I read some more Borges and a book by Barro, and took out an awesome book by Oz Shy called Industrial Organization. It is very nicely explained and the material is super interesting.
We're making copies of it at the copy center in the basement of Di Tella.

By the way, this is internationally illegal, but if anyone from back up north would like a book copied for class, let me know and I'll def do it for you. It just costs the price of the paper, as the university subsidizes the fotocopy room workers. Here all the books people use for class are copied. Rarely do people buy the real book. Especially not in UBA. Go copyright protection laws! Wehew!

Monday, May 18, 2009

Sunday

Gretta was sick and throwing up all day. She ate some of her sister's food...

At 21hrs30 I went to a outdoor tango competition at Plaza Dorrego.
This was incredible. Some of the dancers were amazing to look at. The footwork was incredible. I think I learned a lot just by looking.
Unfortunately I didn't dance at all after the competition because I have no huevos and my couple would have been by far the worst one on the dance floor. I'm going back next Sunday with a girl from class and we're dancing though. No matter how bad we look.

There was also a tradition group dance called chacareras. It was really fun to watch the old couples doing this stuff. There were also some gorgeous women but I was too taken aback by their dancing to pay attention to that aspect of it... maybe when tango doesn't look so cool to me anymore.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MgvH29Fhpo&feature=related

She's still throwing up. It's really disturbing. God this country does not know how to cook

Also, http://www.centroenologos.com/seminarios.htm#
wine and cheese tastings...

Sunday, May 17, 2009

SUBWAY


a picture of the subway. It's cool to see it when it's turning; would have taken a picture but we had to get off.

Sabado

COULDN'T SLEEP...
ANOTHER TANGO LESSON FROM 2-4PM
MET WITH SOMEONE FOR THE FIRST TIME ON A LANGUAGE EXCHANGE 5-7. WE WENT TO "EL GATO NEGRO" WHICH REMINDED ME A LOT OF 'JULIUS MEINL' WHERE I WORKED IN CHICAGO. DARN, I STILL NEED TO SEND A PICTURE OF ME IN BRAZIL TO CHEF M SO THAT THEY BELIEVE ME WHEN I SAY I HAD TO QUIT AFTER 3 WEEKS BC OF BRAZIL. I THINK I'VE BEEN PUTTING THAT OFF FOR 8 MONTHS NOW. SIGH... STORY OF MY LIFE...

WENT HOME FOR ONE HOUR. READ SOME MORE BORGES. I REALLY NEED TO SEE S AND D. THEY'RE SO COOL AND KEEP ON WANTING TO DO STUFF. LIKE GO BACK TO THE ACABAR. BUT PICTIONARY ISN'T REALLY MY THANG.

WENT OUT TO A MILIONGA WITH INSTRUCTORS AND PEEPS FROM MY CLASS. THIS WAS AWESOME. AND LIKE TOTALLY REAL. WITH REAL OLD PEOPLE, OLD COUPLES WHO CAN BARELY WALK BUT THEN SOMEHOW MANAGE TO DANCE INCREDIBLY. WE WERE TOLD TO STAY ON THE INSIDE OUT OF THE EXPERTS' WAYS. STAYED TIL 1;30 UPON WHICH WENT TO SUGAR WITH C AND M TO MEET ONE OF C'S FRIENDS.
SUGAR WAS A GOOD VIBE WITH GREAT, FUN, EXPAT MUSIC.
C IS CRAZY AND LIKES TO TALK ABOUT THINGS YOU WOULD NEVER EXPECT.

I THINK I'M GETTING BETTER AT NOT FALLING ASLEEP IN NOCTURNAL PUBLIC PLACES.

Viernes

No-class-fridays consisted of a tango lesson, fries at el palacio de papas fritas (delicious) with awesome-the-next-woodyallen M and H.
before that restarted a painfully slow process of getting a residency visa so that my credits may transfer back... (long-live the day (if this day could be longer than 24hours it would be awesome, let's starting thinking about making an exception to calendars) that the world becomes one unified visaless place) (or that I have a diplomatic passport)

french party at E's. met a lot of cool people and a few dual citizens. Afterwards her friend got us into the Bahrain for free. danced til 4. The music was soso but it's a good place overall, if you can get in for free.

Jueves

After Mario's last night, went to el Milión to meet with E and her friend in from Boston, M.

Thursday's class was super boring, but I think it was just me. I think that level of boringness will be remembered for years to come.
At 6 went to a free tango lesson at a cultural center, with G. This was pretty cool. and my cool I mean free. G danced with a cute 23yold girl from Madrid and I danced with a 30 something-year-old single mom... but i had a really nice time and will def go back next week.
R and I had a nice dinner. Soup, steak and her special mashed potatoes.
Valientes is getting super repetitive. Didn't realize soap operas could be so dumb. And every argentine makes fun of me for watching it. I stand proud. At least I admit it, they watch it in hiding.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Miércoles

Going to eat at Mario´s tonight. I asked him today what we´re going to eat...
Hola Thibaud: gracias por tu email. Vamos al comer agnollotis. Son
unos sorrentinos grandes rellenos de ricota.
This is like a empanada filled with ricota cheese. For a picture: http://www.nonacatalina.com.ar/ricota_con_nuez_y_jamon.html

When I get a chance I´ll add what wine might go well with this. Have to consult my guides at home.

Algunas expresiones francesas:

Saltar de un tema a otro. Sauter/passer du coq à l'âne means to jump from one subject to another.
Passer d'un sujet à l'autre sans lien évident.
Detallos en francés de la etimología: http://www.francparler.com/syntagme.php?id=120


Llegar a un arreglo/un compromiso.
Ir a medias: con el dinero
Couper la poire en deux "to cut the pear in half" means to meet halfway or to split the difference.

Tuesday

Tuesday

Another blunder, yesterday in my journalism class our prof did a pop quiz. we went to the computer lab and he gave us 45 minutes to write two pages on the argentine elections and Another topic. Lucky for me, none of the other argentine kids actually knew much, so it was just a but harder for us foreign kids. Needless to say, lucky because he's letting us hand in the second assignment next class. I'm going to re-do the first one out of good will... hopefully inspiring his merciful side...

Ah, an a very very very good note, pirus got an awesome internship offer! I feel totally left in the blue. I need to get my life in order!
This weekend I'm applying to a Chicago think tank! That might make me feel better. It's the one CARI (Consejo Argentino de relaciones internacionales) has modeled itself on. CARI is where I often go to lectures and have my foreign policy class.

Castellano class starts in 15 minutes!

Monday

Monday I had my econ test which was nothing short of a disaster.

It's raining hard in buenos aires for the first time in about three weeks. Maybe winter's finally here, but hmm... maybe just a little latent. I got my first smell of winter three weeks ago, a tuesday evening, on Santa Fe, I remember distinctly.

Sunday, May 10, 2009

nothing to do with Bs.As.:

Saturday

Yesterday (Saturday)

was a very good day. I woke up at 8, got work done, yet helped a friend solve a problem with this mac (handbrake, making divx copies of movies, for his film classes), got homework done, went to a 2 hours long tango lesson, loved tango, studied econ with G until 7:45, went to meet H at the ended of a orchestra recital of a friend of ours, went out for wine and pizza with those same (ARGENTINE!!!) people (Malbec, Lopez) to a place on Corrientes (almost as good as las Cuartetas), then went to a milonga with the same people (a milonga is like "une discotheque" but for tango) and to top it off i got home at a reasonable hour!

more about macho tango another time. but it is indeed very sexist.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

tuesday.

Tuesday night i hung out at El Milion from about 11pm til 2. I love love love love this place. I need to make it a point to go there every week!
After that I invited E and N over for Egyptian tea (arouza). This was cool as we talked on the Balcony until 4h with the moon casting our nocturnal shadows.

Waking up at 8 was difficult.


word of the day: adamantine = unbreakable.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eR2PbAiuTD0

"ze" tigre

TOday's post is by a special guest, MC, from El Tigre.

MC likes to cool and is a Religion Major.

yo. I clicked on your blog and saw a mention of the transgender conversation and it reminded me I wanted to research it (told you I was a nerd, and not just when it comes to kitchens). It's spelled "ze". And it's gender neutral. So while a transgender person who identifies as male or female would use that gender's standard pronouns, one that chooses not to submit to gender duality might use ze, or might not. In that case, I don't know how or if they might use pronouns. I've never actually met anyone who used ze. In my encounters with trannies I just ask (either them or mutual friends), and it's usually appreciated. So that's what I discovered.
Happy wining!

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

a Uruguayan, two columbians, a frenchman, an american

what do you get when you mix the five in a group project on the medias of Chile and freedom of press?

you get things like:

"mailde'uruguayan'sname'"@googlemail.com, along with email addresses like caro87hotmail or chaco@...
I find this hilarious given that they're journalism college students.

you get columbians who for some reason think three digits in dates should be separated e.g. 2.009, 1.999
never seen that one before...

or stuff like not knowing to click "reply all" when they're working on group project.

and then of course, the frenchman doesn't care and waits until the last minute to get stuff done.

and the american who's trying to understand what's going on inside these heads and trying to get them to work together as a group, the way american students are taught to.


luckly, there are still Brazilians and Mexicans in the world.

Speaking of Mexicans. Today a mexican and the aforementioned uruguayan were hanging out. The mexican has a tee-shirt that reads "hecho en Mexico". The uruguayan tells him to go on the main pedestrian street (florida) and walk by people sneezing and coughing really close to them. With the current H1N1 craze here ( I saw ONE man wearing a mask yesterday even though there are no reported cases in Argentina yet) that would be the funniest thing to do with one's day (my humble, beating-prone opinion)

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

El Tigre

Had a short but sweet talk with pirus.

Went on a guided tour organized through my program today. Took the train up north and biked through the nice and not as nice parts of town. We had maté and alfahores while sitting along the coast. I ate a chorripan for lunch with delicious dried tomatoes.

then we went kayaking. in the mar de la plata. There was a carnaval Emily talked about which we went pass. I would like going back to check that out. Looked like a simple, fun, proletarian time.

Bonded with G and M K. talked about cooking. Might take a few cooking classes with her from this chef she knows here in BA. You go to his house and cook/eat there.
talked about transgenders on her campus. They're not "he" or "she" but "zee" (not sure on the spelling)

Had a few fun email exchanges with my cousin on being married, falling pregnant, and snow.

Hung out with Soso over icecream. good, tango times.

Monday, May 4, 2009

a memory

I felt like posting this conversation I had with a (far away) close friend yesterday. I feel that when reading back on these posts in X number of years, it will be a decent reminder of the events/situation, and nothing more. This may seem hypocritical of me as there are plenty of things I have not posted in the past that might have been memories, but whatever. Not at all meant as an attack or with any bitterness:

edit: nevermind. Perhaps it's just better to say that I'm single now.


Also, I had an awesome two hour long video chat conversation with Chris about life, Cairo, and the pursuit of happiness, and mainly how him not having 120K and not getting any financial aid means him not going to the #1 (john hopkins) or #4 (Tufts, Fletcher school) top international relations school in the US. gotta love it.
He's trying for the UK and Europe now.
Oh, and apparently, Jordan, from Cairo (the girl) was really into my blog and read really far back into it and was shocked at my writing that he had a mini crush on her when he first met her. ("gasp... I had NO idea!") lol sorry for revealing personal things. That's the third time that's gotten me into 'trouble'

Friday, May 1, 2009

Dalai Lama, a memory

From: tbo
Sent: Tuesday, April 28
To: Uncle
Subject: Dalai Lama

Hey Uncle,
Remember that story of us going to see the Dalai Lama at Grant Park? And something about me yelling at the top of my lungs "DALAI LAAMMMAAAA".

I think you told me that story once. Not sure if it's true or not. Is it?

t



From: Uncle
To:

HI, you were sitting on my shoulders and it was very quiet. You screamed out "Dalai Laaaaammmmaaaa!" All true buddy. It was very funny. All these people dressed in their native garbs turned around to look and you and saw that you were a little boy and smiled. Thanks for reminding me, that was great. Hope all is well and thanks for the email.

Regards,