That sounds bad, like I have a bad attitude or something. I’m just tired after a full day at the university and hungry for dinner! And even though I’ve had a completely wonderful first month in Buenos Aires, I’m beginning to realize that I’m not on vacation – that this really will be my life for the next now 4 months.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m really excited about this fact. I’ve been wanting this since the moment I left Buenos Aires last June, and I couldn’t be happier to be here nor more blessed to have this opportunity. But I guess in all of my anticipation I had forgotten that these 5 months can’t possibly be all “fun and games” all the time. Eventually things will start to be… normal. And again, this is what I want – I want to feel like I really am living here, because I am. Realizing this, though, has been less than romantic than I ever thought. The magic, I suppose, does wear off eventually, and I’ve been a little bit put off because of this realization.
All of this doesn’t mean that I’m any less enchanted or in love with Buenos Aires, though. It’s a haul to get to the university and be there all day and get out of class at 7 pm twice a week, but I do love the university and this city, and the hustle and bustle of it all is so different from any way I’ve lived anywhere else and any other time in my life. It’s quite exhausting, but I’m soaking it all in.
Aside from settling into what will soon be my weekly routine, the group had one of our last glimpses of the good old days of program orientation with another trip to a different estancia, Estancia La Candelaria, last weekend. This one is much larger and much more historic, with huge grounds and a castle mansion where the family used to live. It was a wonderful day of visiting the beautiful mansion, enjoying asado and a folklore dance show during lunch, and watching gauchos demonstrate the petty competitions held on horseback a long time ago. Fun fact – you know Toms, the shoes? The design originally comes from gauchos, Argentinean cowboys. Ha.
Last weekend into the beginning of last week I also got to experience just a sliver of the amazing music scene here in Buenos Aires. On Friday night I joined some other gringo friends at a tiny, alternative bar where we heard absolutely wonderful local, folky, reggae-ish-with-some-cumbia-thrown-in band that consisted of, like, 10 guys singing and playing instruments that ranged from an African-looking drum, a trombone, a ukulele, a banjo, multiple guitars, and a tambourine. We were all dancing, along with what were surely this band’s all-time biggest fans (they knew all the words to the songs) and we had a complete blast. We consider ourselves their new groupies.
Then on Monday we went to a weekly music event here in Buenos Aires that’s the Bomba del Tiempo. It’s a drumming show, and even though they play every Monday, the place is packed every Monday. I saw it when I was here last winter but had even more fun the second time. There have to be, like, 20 people on stage all with different percussion instruments. They take turns coming to the front and then proceed to literally conduct the band with specific hand and body movements. All improv. One section of drums usually starts out slowly and relatively quietly, then gradually all of the others are added in to create an explosion of rhythm and sound that you’d literally have to be physically restrained not to dance to. It’s amaaaaaaaaaazingly fun and I’m already planning on going again next Monday!
Tomorrow I start with my volunteer work at an organization called Grupo Puentes. Grupo Puentes gives scholarships to Argentinean college students that come from very humble backgrounds. These scholarships, although public university education in Argentina is completely free (and of really good quality), do make a huge difference for these students and, in many cases, make it even possible for them to continue their education past high school. I’m really excited about working with people my age – something I’ve never done before when it comes to volunteer work. I met the new scholarship recipients last week and can’t wait to hopefully get to know them better. It’s hard to fathom how different our lives are just from the outset – one of the students was telling us how he has to get up at 4:30 in the morning to travel from his house to his university for a 7 am class. I can’t imagine having to do that, nor can I imagine what it would be like to live in the areas that most of these students are coming from. It’s amazing and inspiring that they have worked so hard to get a university education, and it’s so wonderful that Grupo Puentes can help them. At the same time, we are all college students, and I’m sure we share some similar stresses and worries and likes and dislikes and interests. I know that by working with these students and getting to know them I’m going to learn a lot and definitely reflect upon my life, a lot. I’ll be giving something of an English workshop where I hope I’ll be able to help them with their English, but also where we’ll all just be able to talk and tell stories and get to know each other!
This past weekend we had another long weekend, so I traveled in a luxurious bus 17 hours overnight to Iguazú Falls, the amazing waterfalls in the north of Argentina, bordering Brazil. Soon I’ll write all about it and post lots and lots of pictures. It was truly spectacular.
But for now, I’m going to continue adjusting to what’s become my new life. I thought that with such a relatively easy transition at the beginning, I’d have smooth sailing on that front for the whole semester – but I guess I am experiencing some culture shock for the first time.
Brin Brut Abroad 