I kept on meaning to update this, but didn't really know what to say until Alex pointed out that I hadn't posted anything in forever. Therefore, I shall try. I think I haven't posted anything because I don't think I did anything that interesting, but maybe I am wrong. I think I will stick ot my highlight format.
1. Hugo and the boys- A month or so ago I talked about the artisans in San Telmo that we hung out with one day. From there, Dana became really good friends with all these crazy, but sweet and intelligent and talented, men and women and we (well not Dana anymore because she left last week) have hung out with them a few times. This past Tuesday I went to a salsa/cumbia bar where there was live music and tons of people dancing. It was nice to feel like I wasn't in another club that could be transplanted into New York (although those are fun). Two weeks ago we also went to Hugo's band's show in the middle of nowhere in La Boca. The show was incredible. Hugo plays drums and the show was just like 8 guys playing and playing and playing. It was in this place that seemed like a restaurant in front, but then once you walked outside, all you could see was stars and the band in front of a dipladated house. It reaaaaaally made me feel like I was getting an experience I couldn't get anywhere else.
2. ESMA- From 1976 to 1983, there was a dictatorship in Argentina that ended with over 30,000 people "disappearing" from all over the country. The people were mostly activists, students, intellectuals, and anyone that spoke out about the government or caused a "threat." Many of these people were brought to detainment camps, that we out in the open, where they were tortured and then then usually gone, to where no one knows. One significant group that is connected to the Disappeared is the Madres de la Plaza de Mayo. These, mostly women, are the mothers and wives of people who disappeared. They would march around Plaza de Mayo, the Plaza directly in front of the Casa Rosada (sort of like the White House), demanding their family members be returned. We visited ESMA, one of the detainment camps in Buenos Aires, where they gave us a tour of the complex. It was very unsettling and scary. Not only because they brought us into the "prisoners" quarters and the torture room, but because I had never known about this before coming to Argentina. Not only was it a big deal, but it happened very recently. The visit also reminded me of how little we are taught about Latin America in the US. There are a lot of horrible and great things that have happened in Argentina and other countries, but all I really knew before coming were the words to "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina" and that there was a horrible economic crisis a few years ago. Way to go, self.
3. The Zoo and Botanical Gardens- I went to these places about two weeks ago with Sydney. The Botanical Gardens are beautiful and almost surreal. I just felt like I was in a bigger, nicer version of Brookeside Gardens (if that is even possible!) and it was just very chill and relaxing. Also, there were hundreds of cats everywhere in the garden. They have signs saying "don't leave your pets, they need you!" but people still apparently abandon their cats in the garden. And since there is no neutering in this country, there are hundreds of cats just walking around the park. And even crazier is that people just play with the cats like they are their pets. It weirded us out, because people pet them and feed them, as opposed to avoiding them like people would do in the US. The Zoo was a weird experience. It was beautiful when we went in, it looks like Disney World, but upon closer look the treatment of the animals is pretty awful. The cages were pretty small and the animals did not look too happy. There were also random animals running around in the zoo. People were throwing peanuts at the elephants. And at one point, there were these tiny, angry monkeys in this tiny cage, howling and bearing their fangs. So, logically, a little boy jumped the "barricade" and fed the monkey his sandwich. Well taunted the monkey with his sandwich. I was very impressed that he still had a hand after the incident. One thing I enjoyed about the zoo (i still liked it even if it was a little inhumane) was that the parrots said "Hola" instead of "Hello."
I think this is a good amount of information for right now. I am leaving to go on Spring Break tonight. We are going to Mendoza, Argentina, which is the most western province (or state) of Argentina. It is also Wine Country! After Mendoza, we are going to Santiago, Chile for a few days. I am excited, but also nervous that my friends and I will kill each other. I think it will be okay, but I just want everything to start so we can be happy. Maybe I will even learn to ride a bike in Mendoza!
Word of the Day: "Dale." This is similar to alright, or okay. There is another word, "Claro," that is also used, but Dale is more informal and COOL (or "bárbaro, which technically means barbarian, but actually means cool, awesome, sweeeeeet).
