Sarah Burns (another Wofford student) and I at the Camp Though I have had a blast on this trip, not everything has been peaches and cream. In fact, there are many things I feel as if the study abroad office did not prepare me for, or I was misinformed about. The first thing being that people do wear flip flops in their summer here. If anyone ever studies abroad in Buenos Aires during the Spring Semester… PLEASE PACK REALLY COOL CLOTHES. The summers here are dreadfully hot, and do not expect to have AC. For the most part you will get drenched with rain for about an hour every day, and deal with scorching heat. Things also to remember to pack that may slip your mind is bug repellent, sun screen, aloe, sun screen, sun screen, and more sun screen. The program I am in, IES, is also very unorganized. When I arrived here some two short weeks ago, instead of having a room to myself as per the IES contract, my roommate and I were stuck in a room together until another person from another program moved out. But hopefully the bumpy ride has ceased.
More things to know about Buenos Aires…. The people here are not in the least politically correct. If you are of any black decent you will be called ‘negro,’ if you are Jewish you will be called ‘Russe,’ if you are a midget, plan on being called a midget, and if you are fat you will be called ‘gourdo/gourda.’ I feel as if someone needs to know this before coming here. Also, the largest size sold in the stores here is a size 16, which in most stores is cut like a size 8. There is a law that regulates the sizes for all stores, but alas, stores do not adhere by this law. I have noticed a lot of places here do not adhere by the law. If you are caught in possession of drugs, pass the cop a 100 peso bill and he will look the other way. People will constantly harass you for money because of the poor economy here. And NEVER take any flyers from people. The economy is so bad, that some people will have you look at something like a poem, and if you read it they will insist on you paying for the poem. Of course you don’t have to, but in order to avoid a scene and draw attention to the fact that you are American, most people pay these people to be quiet.
My language barrier is beginning to show signs of weakening me. Trying to speak in Spanish all day every day, when I have never taken a semester of Spanish is a difficult task. Though, knowing another romance language helps, it is nothing like knowing the language of your host country. Here Spanish is spoken very rapidly and the double “L” that I had learned to pronounce is completely different here. It is pronounced like a “J”. For instance, If I were to say ‘Me llamo’ the double “L” would be ‘Me ja-mo.’ This is another hard piece of information to soak in. And everyone here uses vos, instead of tu.
As far as people go here, it is a toss-up. I have been blessed to meet a bunch of really fun, really interesting people, but I can notice cultural barriers within the culture of the United States. Adding those barriers in with the already overwhelming barriers of Argentina makes for a very interesting trip.
Coke is much better here for some strange reason. And alcohol is much stronger. In fact, I learned real quick that you do NOT order a mixed drink here because it is ¾ alcohol and ¼ mixer. But alas, we must all live and learn.
We went to Rodizio Campo this past Thursday. It was so much fun. Though this is where the SUNSCREEN tip would come into play. We swam and laid in the sun, and had the most amazing Asado lunch. May I just say, that this lunch was every guy’s ultimate dream, and even the guys were refusing food by the end of it. This lunch began with an all you can eat salad bar that had ham, eggs, salad, potatoe salad, fruit salad, and everything else that can be formed with potatoes and served cold. Then came the meat. A couple men came around with meat on huge, long knives. They served table side each person who wanted each meat. These meats consisted of: pork, ribs, steak (carne), and chicken (pollo). The food was so overwhelming. On top of all this food was dessert, which was flan, meringue, cooked pears, baked apples, tiramisu, watermelon, honeydew, strawberries, plums, and of course dulce de leche. Let us just say most people were full into the night! This was a lot of fun, and I even got to catch up with a fellow SI member (Chelsea Smith).
More things to know about Buenos Aires…. The people here are not in the least politically correct. If you are of any black decent you will be called ‘negro,’ if you are Jewish you will be called ‘Russe,’ if you are a midget, plan on being called a midget, and if you are fat you will be called ‘gourdo/gourda.’ I feel as if someone needs to know this before coming here. Also, the largest size sold in the stores here is a size 16, which in most stores is cut like a size 8. There is a law that regulates the sizes for all stores, but alas, stores do not adhere by this law. I have noticed a lot of places here do not adhere by the law. If you are caught in possession of drugs, pass the cop a 100 peso bill and he will look the other way. People will constantly harass you for money because of the poor economy here. And NEVER take any flyers from people. The economy is so bad, that some people will have you look at something like a poem, and if you read it they will insist on you paying for the poem. Of course you don’t have to, but in order to avoid a scene and draw attention to the fact that you are American, most people pay these people to be quiet.
My language barrier is beginning to show signs of weakening me. Trying to speak in Spanish all day every day, when I have never taken a semester of Spanish is a difficult task. Though, knowing another romance language helps, it is nothing like knowing the language of your host country. Here Spanish is spoken very rapidly and the double “L” that I had learned to pronounce is completely different here. It is pronounced like a “J”. For instance, If I were to say ‘Me llamo’ the double “L” would be ‘Me ja-mo.’ This is another hard piece of information to soak in. And everyone here uses vos, instead of tu.
As far as people go here, it is a toss-up. I have been blessed to meet a bunch of really fun, really interesting people, but I can notice cultural barriers within the culture of the United States. Adding those barriers in with the already overwhelming barriers of Argentina makes for a very interesting trip.
Coke is much better here for some strange reason. And alcohol is much stronger. In fact, I learned real quick that you do NOT order a mixed drink here because it is ¾ alcohol and ¼ mixer. But alas, we must all live and learn.
We went to Rodizio Campo this past Thursday. It was so much fun. Though this is where the SUNSCREEN tip would come into play. We swam and laid in the sun, and had the most amazing Asado lunch. May I just say, that this lunch was every guy’s ultimate dream, and even the guys were refusing food by the end of it. This lunch began with an all you can eat salad bar that had ham, eggs, salad, potatoe salad, fruit salad, and everything else that can be formed with potatoes and served cold. Then came the meat. A couple men came around with meat on huge, long knives. They served table side each person who wanted each meat. These meats consisted of: pork, ribs, steak (carne), and chicken (pollo). The food was so overwhelming. On top of all this food was dessert, which was flan, meringue, cooked pears, baked apples, tiramisu, watermelon, honeydew, strawberries, plums, and of course dulce de leche. Let us just say most people were full into the night! This was a lot of fun, and I even got to catch up with a fellow SI member (Chelsea Smith).
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