The Estancia

Saturday we had a day trip to an Argentine Country House (estancia).  Activities were set to include some country barbecue, a castle visit, a dancing demo, and horseback riding.  Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate and it rained fairly heavily, so the horseback riding which I was looking forward to the most did not happen.  However, here are some photos of the food as it was being cooked and some of the country dancing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Word/Phrases of the day (Disclaimer: I do not claim that these are grammatically correct, but at least they were understood):
Gaucho/Gaucha
Llueve
Caballo

Hablo espanol mal (I speak bad Spanish)

Noble as my efforts are I apparently have some recurring bad habits when it comes to speaking Spanish. I have to thank my classmate, friend, and unofficial tutor for making fun of me every chance he gets.  My best guess is the abuse I am receiving is his way of getting back at all the people who ever made fun of him while he was learning English.  I am definitely taking one for the team... a big one (thank me later America).

What goes wrong?  Here is a short list:

1) First of all I apparently speak like a woman.  Not the tone of my voice, just the fact that I always seem to use the feminine form of a nouns/adjectives when referring to myself (La).
2) Not able to keep up with a conversation (by the time the conversation is over I have just realized what the topic was)
3) Try to guess the Spanish version of a word by adding an 'o' or 'a' to the end of an English word
4) Use my hands a lot when I speak (makes me look more Italian)

The First Full Day, Let's Go for a Walk

Today's activities included a few hours of walking going starting from Microcentro and going through Recoleta and Palermo neighborhoods. The initial goal was to visit the planetarium (Planetario Galileo Galilei) while also stopping to see take advantage of the sights and photo opportunities along the way.  The sights along the way included Plaza Ruben Dario (dedicated to the famous Nicaraguan poet), the Recoleta Cemetery.  I included some pictures from the cemetery.  You will notice I did not actually enter the cemetary... not my thing.

Long story short, the planetarium was closed when we arrived, but at least we had a chance to see the city and take some pictures.  I also had my first experience with Carrefour for lunch (it's like wal-mart, but cooler).

Now in 70+ degree weather you would expect to see more people in shorts, but as I walked around in my cargo shorts I must have truly stood out as being a tourist as almost nobody, except other visitors, seemed to have shorts on.  Seemed like everybody was wearing a jeans (pantalones).  About an hour into walking I realized why, since every mosquito on the east side of Buenos Aires took a bite out of me.

To cap off the night we enjoyed a nice little dinner at a local cafe.  The lifestyle here is so much different as you are never rushed to eat and go.  In fact, you have to ask for the check or they will just let you sit and chat with friends all day. There is no rush!!!  If I tried to do the same thing in the US the waiter would probably catch an attitude... hmm  I could get used to this.

Word/Phrases of the day (Disclaimer: I do not claim that these are grammatically correct, but at least they were understood):
- mosquitoes
- pantalones
- Cafe no leche.

Be sure to check out the 'official' AU blog for this trip at http://www.kogodinargentina.blogspot.com/

Adios!

Welcome to Buenos Aires!

After 14-16 hours I finally arrived in Buenos Aires.  It is summertime here and the weather is much warmer then DC.  Along the way I met a friendly Argentine lady traveling with her daughter who filled me in on some places to go and foods to try during my stay.  Let's see if it pays off!

Day one consisted of a lot of walking through the 'Microcentro' part of the city, which is the business district.  Also took a stroll down Florida Ave., a place with a lot of shops clearly geared towards tourists.  The American music and pricey merchandise are sure give-aways.  The AM treat was a Toastado sandwich, an Argentinian version of grilled ham and cheese that is amazing.

Most of the day was spent napping and getting adjusted to the new environment.  The next post will be more enjoyable, I promise.

Word/Phrases of the day (Disclaimer: I do not claim that these are grammatically correct, but at least they were understood):
- Cambiar dolares para pesos?
- Gracias!