The most important question: YES the toilets DO flush counter-clockwise!
What do you say to someone who thanks you with “gracias”? Normally it´s, “de nada,” right? Well, in Argentina, it´s “no, por favor.” That is, please don´t say thank you, it´s “no problem,” as younger folks say in the US. It reminds me of Orlando Karam who always graciously says “al contrario” when I say “gracias” to him. (It means “to the contrary, it is I who must thank you.”) I just love that. (I don´t like “no problem” in the US because it implies, “you didn´t bother me,” which sounds anything but gracious.)
Joan Manuel Serrat and Joaquín Sabina (together, at last!), Spanish song-writer singers had a concert here last night at the Bombonera (the candy-box fútbol stadium). They´re from “my time” when I was a student in Spain. Here´s a video of each:
1. (the way I remember him) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcEiwtCvi10
2. (JMS today)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vyl4m1Vz2M
3. (Joaquín and Joan singing one of my favorite songs)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BKnDA04zzI&feature=related
Observation: We haven´t been here long enough to learn anything with any certainty or profundity, but it appears that there isn´t the practice of the botellón (using cell phones to bring together suddenly a large crowd of young people for the sole purpose of getting plastered with Kalimocho=1/2 coke, 1/2 cheap red wine ). The economy doesn´t permit the luxury of that sort of behavior, but I’m sure there are other non-conforming practices here—e.g. the cumbia villera, which is amusing to say the least. Cumbia originated in Colombia, is music of the lower , working class practically everywhere—especially in Mexico ( and on El Patrón radio in Atlanta—105.3). But here it has a punk rock edge—who knew cumbia—CUMBIA!—could be anti-establishment! I´m stripping gears!
Serious note: The local news/soap opera is about Febres, accused, and found guilty of extreme torture during the military dicatorship here. He was found dead of cyanide poisoning, and his wife, children, and their spouses have all been arrested for passing the poison on to him right before he was to be sentences for his crimes. Isn’t that the same behavior pattern of some of the German Nazis after Nuremberg? Remember Germany’s association with Argentina during and after WWII…
The pidgeon shit trick--This afternoon, while walking back to the hotel to pick up the SPSU goodie bag for Mr. Mascarenhas, we experienced something like the following:
The Old Mustard Trick: At a food stand a brazen thief will kindly point out mustard, ketchup, or ice cream on your clothes, and help you wipe it off. Never mind that HE put it there. You’ll never feel him “dip” your pocket or handbag as he expertly distracts you. From: http://www.bobarno.com/hunters.htm
In our case, they threw some gross stuff on us and said it was from pidgeons. They didn´t get anything, but left us stinking. We went back to the hotel to pick up the SPSU stuff, wash the stuff out of our clothes, and change clothes for the dinner. Then, as a result of the brouhaha, we took a cab to the restaurant to meet Mr. Mascarnhas, I forgot it in the taxi. All the SPSU goodies are in a cab belonging to somebody named Chamorro…and I even forgot to get a receipt. Stupid, right?
Mr. Mascarnhas is absolutely delightful, as was his wife, and daughter, SPSU student María Agustina was able to join us, having recently arrived in BsAs. He has taken on the SPSU project of getting connected in Latin America as if it were his own.
The image of the US isn´t good here. People are resentful, feel bullied on the one hand, ignored (until the US WANTS SOMETHING) on the other. In spite of that, I found the people here absolutely delightful. They are going through the economic crisis as best they can (Mr. M., for example has been unemployed since 2001). I believe that they will be better for the experience. Never again, I think, unless their politicians have short memories, will they fall prey to easy credit by the World Bank and the IMF. Even now there is a scandal brewing with US money purportedly being sent from the FBI with a Venezuelan American to the presidential campaign of Cristina Fernández Kirschner in order to buy her influence against Chavez, in favor of the US. She has already announced that she is independent and will maintain diplomatic relations with all of Latin America, including Venezuela. On the other hand, Argentina is beholden to Venezuela because it needs its oil. The issue of oil is seen to be the motive behind Bush´s involvement in Iraq. Between his assuming office and today, the price of oil has doubled, and they know he is in the oil business.
Well, this is the last journal entry for this trip. To sum up SPSU options: either Santiago or BsAs has options for our students, depending on their interests. There other options must be developed by Rich B during his trip here in March 2008. So far as SPSU options regarding recruiting Argentine and Chilean students, those also depend on Rich B. There are many possibilities, because of economics in Argentina, perhaps more in Chile than in Argentina, but both should be explored. I am certain that he will explore exchanges, 2+2, 2+3, dual degrees, and what ever other formats. The ground is fertile here, and ready for his arrival.
That´s all, folks!
16.12.07
15.12.07
Argentina 7
We walked to the Plaza de mayo, to the Casa Rosada, where we saw the demonstration du jour, with police ringing the small obelisk, and fully-equipped riot police, just out of sight around the corner. On the way we passed Café Tortoni, famous for its literary meetings including Borges and Alfonsina Storni, the famous poet who committed suicide by walking into the sea. Since she is contemporaneous to the Spanish Poetic Generación of 1927 (and she met Federico García Lorca at the Tortoni), from whose poetry I have created concordances, I think her work will be the next concordance I do when the Gen. 27 is done. I also walked by several bookstores, and was seduced into buying 2 volumes—the epic poem of El gaucho Martín Fierro, and the novel Don Segundo Sombra. I also purchased a few posters about Argentine customs for our classroom and lab. Later, I went to collect forms from banks, etc., for the SPAN 4001 class, and other documents for SPAN 4002.
We ate with a couple of ex-pats so Rich could record their interview. This was a couple from Oregon with 4 daughters in college and high school. They sold everything and moved to Argentina to be able to send their daughters to school. I´m not sure that I agree with their lifestyle. They are an island unto themselves—barely speak Spanish, have other ex-pat friends, don´t exactly mix with Argentines, etc. You get the picture, in a capsule, hermetically sealed. My image of the ugly “American.” But I have hope for these folks. They are trying to learn Spanish, and their children are bi-lingual. After all, they’ve only been in BsAs for a year and a half.
There are only a couple of days left here, and I am thinking that I will miss it when I´m gone. These people have been the most hospitable, gracious, friendly, laid-back folks I´ve ever met. I plan to return. This evening while we were conversing, I saw families coming out to eat dinner with all members present—from grandparents to babies. I loved the noise level—everyone talking at the same time! Almost as loud as Spain, but not quite. It was so comfortable, so much like home. Kids were wandering about, but the waiters and the other customers didn´t mind at all. I have invited (finally!) the Mascarenha family to eat at the same place tomorrow evening to thank him and give him all the goodies from SPSU. When we were leaving the restaurant, the waiter, with whom I enjoyed a fun give-and-take repartee, gave me a peck on the cheek.
Tomorrow we plan to walk to San Telmo. Here are a couple of interesting (to me, at least) videos of that barrio:
1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNvXFiNSR30
The photography is dizzying, but I love the first tango—La puñalada (the stabbing).
2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YEyiMYHBOE
The tango “fight”—love it!
More later.
We ate with a couple of ex-pats so Rich could record their interview. This was a couple from Oregon with 4 daughters in college and high school. They sold everything and moved to Argentina to be able to send their daughters to school. I´m not sure that I agree with their lifestyle. They are an island unto themselves—barely speak Spanish, have other ex-pat friends, don´t exactly mix with Argentines, etc. You get the picture, in a capsule, hermetically sealed. My image of the ugly “American.” But I have hope for these folks. They are trying to learn Spanish, and their children are bi-lingual. After all, they’ve only been in BsAs for a year and a half.
There are only a couple of days left here, and I am thinking that I will miss it when I´m gone. These people have been the most hospitable, gracious, friendly, laid-back folks I´ve ever met. I plan to return. This evening while we were conversing, I saw families coming out to eat dinner with all members present—from grandparents to babies. I loved the noise level—everyone talking at the same time! Almost as loud as Spain, but not quite. It was so comfortable, so much like home. Kids were wandering about, but the waiters and the other customers didn´t mind at all. I have invited (finally!) the Mascarenha family to eat at the same place tomorrow evening to thank him and give him all the goodies from SPSU. When we were leaving the restaurant, the waiter, with whom I enjoyed a fun give-and-take repartee, gave me a peck on the cheek.
Tomorrow we plan to walk to San Telmo. Here are a couple of interesting (to me, at least) videos of that barrio:
1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNvXFiNSR30
The photography is dizzying, but I love the first tango—La puñalada (the stabbing).
2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YEyiMYHBOE
The tango “fight”—love it!
More later.
14.12.07
Chile 4
Vocabulary—
We say They say
Buenos días Buen día Good morning
Aseos, servicios baño restroom
Habichuelas porotos green beans
Frijoles
Judías
Guisantes,
petits pois arvejas peas
Chile ají hot pepper
Mantequilla manteca butter
Salsa (the kind you eat)
pebre hot sauce
Novio pololo boyfriend
The police here are called carabineros, and their uniforms are military green with a decidedly fascist-style hat. Mote con huesillo is sold on the street from vendors. I didn´t dare try it, but I did ask what it was—fruit juice with dry fruit floating. It looked delicious. Rich compares Chile/Argentina to Canada/US. He thinks it’s cleaner and more orderly. I like the Argentine spirit. Because the monetary units are so large, the paper money, and reckoning its value is a bit more difficult. Shoe stores are everywhere…how many feet do Chileans have?
The belongings of Gabiela Mistral have been returned to the Biblioteca Nacional. She is the Nobel Laureate in poetry (from whose work I created a concordance), and shares the poetic spotlight with Pablo Neruda (also a subject of one of my concordances) more and more. The other writers of note are José Donoso (Obscene Bird of the Night), who came to Emory when I was on the faculty there; Isabel Allende, a relative of assassinated President Salvador Allende, who teaches in exile in the University system of California; and Arial Dorfman, also in exile, on the faculty of Duke University. You might ask why are they in exile now that Pinochet is dead? They have not returned to Chile, but are still considered major Chilean authors.
The fruit police. We went to eat at a local popular restaurant around six, and split a sandwich of chicken tomato and avocado. Afterwards, I requested some fruit. WELL, FRUIT IS NOT SERVED AFTER 5. It’s a RULE. YOU CANNOT HAVE FRUIT AFTER 5. What is THAT about?
I enjoyed Chile, but I really love Argentina. We are now back there, and it feels as comfortable as Spain. Have to change peso gears, from Chile to Argentina—math calculations go from multiplying by 2 and taking 3 zeros off, to dividing by 3. Too bad Chavez is the only one calling for a united America, because he´s nuts, but the idea is a good one.
More later
We say They say
Buenos días Buen día Good morning
Aseos, servicios baño restroom
Habichuelas porotos green beans
Frijoles
Judías
Guisantes,
petits pois arvejas peas
Chile ají hot pepper
Mantequilla manteca butter
Salsa (the kind you eat)
pebre hot sauce
Novio pololo boyfriend
The police here are called carabineros, and their uniforms are military green with a decidedly fascist-style hat. Mote con huesillo is sold on the street from vendors. I didn´t dare try it, but I did ask what it was—fruit juice with dry fruit floating. It looked delicious. Rich compares Chile/Argentina to Canada/US. He thinks it’s cleaner and more orderly. I like the Argentine spirit. Because the monetary units are so large, the paper money, and reckoning its value is a bit more difficult. Shoe stores are everywhere…how many feet do Chileans have?
The belongings of Gabiela Mistral have been returned to the Biblioteca Nacional. She is the Nobel Laureate in poetry (from whose work I created a concordance), and shares the poetic spotlight with Pablo Neruda (also a subject of one of my concordances) more and more. The other writers of note are José Donoso (Obscene Bird of the Night), who came to Emory when I was on the faculty there; Isabel Allende, a relative of assassinated President Salvador Allende, who teaches in exile in the University system of California; and Arial Dorfman, also in exile, on the faculty of Duke University. You might ask why are they in exile now that Pinochet is dead? They have not returned to Chile, but are still considered major Chilean authors.
The fruit police. We went to eat at a local popular restaurant around six, and split a sandwich of chicken tomato and avocado. Afterwards, I requested some fruit. WELL, FRUIT IS NOT SERVED AFTER 5. It’s a RULE. YOU CANNOT HAVE FRUIT AFTER 5. What is THAT about?
I enjoyed Chile, but I really love Argentina. We are now back there, and it feels as comfortable as Spain. Have to change peso gears, from Chile to Argentina—math calculations go from multiplying by 2 and taking 3 zeros off, to dividing by 3. Too bad Chavez is the only one calling for a united America, because he´s nuts, but the idea is a good one.
More later
Chile 3
Pickpockets. Everyone is admonishing us to beware of them, to wear our backpacks and purses in front—even when we went to the cathedral. The Christmas season here isn´t so commercial. There are folks shopping, but very limited decorating in stores. I am confused by the explanation of customs that includes Santa Claus. Most of America observes religious Christmas, with presents brought on Jan 6, the Feast of the Epiphany, or Three Kings´ Day. Not here. The practice is, according to a tour guide, to go out to dinner on Christmas Eve, return home to get your presents left by Santa Claus. I have to confirm this, because this guide spent quite some time in NY, so her presentation might be a little off. The obscenity I observed in front of the cathedral was a huge Christmas tree with monstrous red decorations, on each of which was the Coca-Cola logo.
There are a lot of promotional ads for universities on TV here, so I contacted many of them to see if they would be interested in establishing contacts with SPSU for their students to come to us. We already have lots of bites for the visit from Rich B. in March. These are private universities, whose students already pay tuition, and which would be more likely to come to us, I think. The public universities have students who pay little or no tuition, and would need financial assistance.
We visited the Santiago COINED facility today, a former residence in the suburbs. It gave us a proposal for 15 students, and for students who want to go individually. The completion of a level will require 3 weeks, not 2, as I had expected for this program in December. When I return, I will contact CACTUS, the agency that works for COINED and other schools of Spanish around America and Europe, to see if we can set something up for any SPSU student to go to school anywhere s/he wants for Spanish, so that there will be more options for our students. However, I will NOT be looking for contact hours, but rather completion of level before granting SPSU credit.
On the whole, there seems to be greater interest in SPSU’s coming to Chile to discuss agreements with other universities than to Argentina. This is the end of the AY here, and application period for March begins now. It appears that there is either a glut on the market in Chile, or a dearth of students. I still haven´t been able to get a hold of the UBA Office of International Programs, university-wide. We DO have, however, 3 appointments for Rich to keep in March in BsAs.
Santiago would be pleasant for our students because there is the sea and the mountains, but, for me, there is much more brain candy in BsAs. But that´s just me.
More later.
There are a lot of promotional ads for universities on TV here, so I contacted many of them to see if they would be interested in establishing contacts with SPSU for their students to come to us. We already have lots of bites for the visit from Rich B. in March. These are private universities, whose students already pay tuition, and which would be more likely to come to us, I think. The public universities have students who pay little or no tuition, and would need financial assistance.
We visited the Santiago COINED facility today, a former residence in the suburbs. It gave us a proposal for 15 students, and for students who want to go individually. The completion of a level will require 3 weeks, not 2, as I had expected for this program in December. When I return, I will contact CACTUS, the agency that works for COINED and other schools of Spanish around America and Europe, to see if we can set something up for any SPSU student to go to school anywhere s/he wants for Spanish, so that there will be more options for our students. However, I will NOT be looking for contact hours, but rather completion of level before granting SPSU credit.
On the whole, there seems to be greater interest in SPSU’s coming to Chile to discuss agreements with other universities than to Argentina. This is the end of the AY here, and application period for March begins now. It appears that there is either a glut on the market in Chile, or a dearth of students. I still haven´t been able to get a hold of the UBA Office of International Programs, university-wide. We DO have, however, 3 appointments for Rich to keep in March in BsAs.
Santiago would be pleasant for our students because there is the sea and the mountains, but, for me, there is much more brain candy in BsAs. But that´s just me.
More later.
Chile 2
We missed being in BsAs for Cristina´s inauguration, but, as luck would have it, we were in Santiago for the 1st anniversary of the dictator Augusto Pinochet´s death. So when we went to the Palacio de la Moneda (the President´s office—a White House of sorts, except that Chilean presidents live in their own homes, and where Allende was assassinated by CIA-sponsored Pinochet´s troops, bombs, and aircraft fire), it was closed to the public. The guard said they were preparing for Christmas (yeah, and I´m tall, thin, and young!). Demonstrations were expected from both sides of the spectrum. When we ambled down one of the two or three streets permanently closed to traffic, there was a silent march of a handful of young communists, anti-Pinochet, of course. It was very moving to see a country coming out of such a tragic period to the point that there was freedom on the part of both sides to express their opinion. Even on TV tonight there was a game show made up of 4 teams of budding journalists who were assigned to cover different aspects of the coup d’état—both before and after. Their reports were then judged by professional journalists whose decision produced a “winner.” I think the real winner was Chile.
I am gratified that my students are reading these journal entries and responding. Here is another question from Aleksey:
I'm really enjoying these writings. They give me a little bit of insight into different cultures within the Latin world. To tell the truth, I don't really know much about Chile. What is their Spanish like (I find the different variations of Spanish each country has very interesting)?
The dialect in Chile is unlike that of Argentina in the following ways: They use tú instead of vos, and vocabulary items are different. For example, aguacate (avocado) is called palta, etc. The intonation pattern in BsAs, so Napolitano, simply doesn´t exist in Chile. So, they would be easier to understand for a student of Spanish in the US. There is, additionally, a aspirated s’s that we find in Caribbean Spanish, and some l-r confusion. I am noticing a different pronunciation of the r after consonants like t, as well.
The personality of Chile isn´t as large as that of Argentina. These two countries don´t play well together. I chalk it up to the immigrant presence in Argentina, a country of immigrants principally from Italy. Chile has a more varied population with a presence of indigenous people. There are many more mestizos here. Chile did have a certain presence of Incas, although it was not so great as that of Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador. Chile´s national hero is Bernardo O’Higgins, who did not participate in the Liberation to such an extent as San Martín or Bolívar, so is relegated to a position of second importance, not unlike Chile´s position today. However, Chile’s economy is stronger and more stable than that of Argentina. We get a lot of summer fruit during our winter from Chile. It also boasts of a strong wine industry. (It really boasts that it is the country in America furthest to the south—take a look at a map and you’ll see that Chilean territory winds its way around the tip of Argentina—another way to stick it to the argentinos…and that territory is contested, I believe.)
Chilean President Michelle Bachelet is past the half point mark of her presidency of a non-repeatable 4-year term. The news tonight showed her in BsAs at Cristina Fernández de Kirschner´s inauguration, seated far away from Hugh Chávez. The last time those two had meet was the infamous rebuke by King Juan Carlos I of Spain to Chávez, ¿Por qué no te callas?—why don´t you shut up? Actually there is some resentment toward her because she didn´t control the situation when Chávez kept interrupting Spain´s PM, Rodríguez Zapatero’s speech. It´s a telenovela (soap opera)!
Music on radio—lots of US rock, some Latin pop, and little Chilean offerings. Argentina´s music is much more clearly defined. TV on cable—BBC, France Monde, RAI (Italy), only part-time Spain, CNN International and en español, and several Chilean outlets. No Deutsche Welle.
More later
I am gratified that my students are reading these journal entries and responding. Here is another question from Aleksey:
I'm really enjoying these writings. They give me a little bit of insight into different cultures within the Latin world. To tell the truth, I don't really know much about Chile. What is their Spanish like (I find the different variations of Spanish each country has very interesting)?
The dialect in Chile is unlike that of Argentina in the following ways: They use tú instead of vos, and vocabulary items are different. For example, aguacate (avocado) is called palta, etc. The intonation pattern in BsAs, so Napolitano, simply doesn´t exist in Chile. So, they would be easier to understand for a student of Spanish in the US. There is, additionally, a aspirated s’s that we find in Caribbean Spanish, and some l-r confusion. I am noticing a different pronunciation of the r after consonants like t, as well.
The personality of Chile isn´t as large as that of Argentina. These two countries don´t play well together. I chalk it up to the immigrant presence in Argentina, a country of immigrants principally from Italy. Chile has a more varied population with a presence of indigenous people. There are many more mestizos here. Chile did have a certain presence of Incas, although it was not so great as that of Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador. Chile´s national hero is Bernardo O’Higgins, who did not participate in the Liberation to such an extent as San Martín or Bolívar, so is relegated to a position of second importance, not unlike Chile´s position today. However, Chile’s economy is stronger and more stable than that of Argentina. We get a lot of summer fruit during our winter from Chile. It also boasts of a strong wine industry. (It really boasts that it is the country in America furthest to the south—take a look at a map and you’ll see that Chilean territory winds its way around the tip of Argentina—another way to stick it to the argentinos…and that territory is contested, I believe.)
Chilean President Michelle Bachelet is past the half point mark of her presidency of a non-repeatable 4-year term. The news tonight showed her in BsAs at Cristina Fernández de Kirschner´s inauguration, seated far away from Hugh Chávez. The last time those two had meet was the infamous rebuke by King Juan Carlos I of Spain to Chávez, ¿Por qué no te callas?—why don´t you shut up? Actually there is some resentment toward her because she didn´t control the situation when Chávez kept interrupting Spain´s PM, Rodríguez Zapatero’s speech. It´s a telenovela (soap opera)!
Music on radio—lots of US rock, some Latin pop, and little Chilean offerings. Argentina´s music is much more clearly defined. TV on cable—BBC, France Monde, RAI (Italy), only part-time Spain, CNN International and en español, and several Chilean outlets. No Deutsche Welle.
More later
Chile 1
After a less-than-two hour flight from BsAs to Santiago, we´re in Chile. The hotel is right next door to the UChile where we have an appointment tomorrow. The flight was wonderful in the day time, because we could see all the way from BsAs, over the Pampas, over the Andes, and down into Santiago. How different could Chile be? It´s right next door to Argentina, right? Well, if BsAs is the Paris of American, Santiago is its San Francisco. (just another saint, right?) It´s drier, looks and feels like California, and isn´t the skinny, spaghetti country. Somehow I had expected to be able to see the mountains and the sea simultaneously. Not so. The Andes are much wider than I had expected. We flew for miles over them. The pilot flew over, around, and through mountain passes. It´s just in the middle of them that he has to begin his descent, so we flew by mountains higher than the plane. And they are barren, but not unpopulated. In the middle of nowhere, you could see paths that people had worn into them. I couldn´t see any evidence of plant life, though. What would attract people to live in such a place?
The landscape made me think of Pablo Neruda´s Canto general, his massive poem about America. Primordial, before the existence of man. The Andes could be confused with moon landscape. While Neruda has always tried to get to the essence of things, the most salient recent writers of Argentina, Jorge Luis Borges and Julio Cortázar, had more intellectual, literary purpose. Borges was raised speaking English in Argentina, and his word is soaked with allusions to everything not necessarily Latin, but more on a world scale, e.g., Norse mythology. Cortázar was out of Argentina so much that he even spoke Spanish with a French accent. Argentina seems to look to Europe, and Chile, to the rest of America. If you want to get a taste of the differnce, read Borges´ story El aleph and Neruda´s Odas elementales. Neruda is attached to America.
On the way to the hotel from the airport, we passed by the Palacio de la Moneda, where the US-supported military lead by Augusto Pinochet attacked and killed the duly-elected president, Salvador Allende, thus beginning a years-long dictatorship with its own story of the disappeared. I have ambivalent about most things in America with respect to the role of the US government, but not this. How can I live in a country that is so arrogant and bellicose as to destroy the will of the people of another country? Most US people do not even know what we have done, and continue doing. I just think of the braggadocios with their “We’re number one!” In what? The US does not play well with others.
Chile’s profile is more like that of the rest of America, with fewer Italians, more mestizos and indigenous people. The streets of Santiago are not unlike, at least where we are now, cleaner and not unlike any other modern city that is doing business in the world.
More later
The landscape made me think of Pablo Neruda´s Canto general, his massive poem about America. Primordial, before the existence of man. The Andes could be confused with moon landscape. While Neruda has always tried to get to the essence of things, the most salient recent writers of Argentina, Jorge Luis Borges and Julio Cortázar, had more intellectual, literary purpose. Borges was raised speaking English in Argentina, and his word is soaked with allusions to everything not necessarily Latin, but more on a world scale, e.g., Norse mythology. Cortázar was out of Argentina so much that he even spoke Spanish with a French accent. Argentina seems to look to Europe, and Chile, to the rest of America. If you want to get a taste of the differnce, read Borges´ story El aleph and Neruda´s Odas elementales. Neruda is attached to America.
On the way to the hotel from the airport, we passed by the Palacio de la Moneda, where the US-supported military lead by Augusto Pinochet attacked and killed the duly-elected president, Salvador Allende, thus beginning a years-long dictatorship with its own story of the disappeared. I have ambivalent about most things in America with respect to the role of the US government, but not this. How can I live in a country that is so arrogant and bellicose as to destroy the will of the people of another country? Most US people do not even know what we have done, and continue doing. I just think of the braggadocios with their “We’re number one!” In what? The US does not play well with others.
Chile’s profile is more like that of the rest of America, with fewer Italians, more mestizos and indigenous people. The streets of Santiago are not unlike, at least where we are now, cleaner and not unlike any other modern city that is doing business in the world.
More later
Argentina 6
We took a commercial tour today of BsAs. It was amazing to see the 48 or so barrios—each with its own character. The city is huge, and, I think, wonderful for students to explore. T he general public is very accommodating to tourists. We haven’t met a grouch yet. Tomorrow it´s on to Santiago, where we have to pay a $100US visa fee in cash, as a retaliation to whatever the US government imposed on entering Chileans. The flight is at 8:30 am, and that means we have to be there at 6:30, and leave the hotel at 5:40, and get up at…well, you get the picture. Not a pretty thought for a couple of night owls. Monday at 11 we have an appointment with the UChile Office of International Programs. On Tuesday we will go to the COINED facility in Santiago. We return to BsAs Thursday.
This evening there was a street Tango Fiesta on the Calle de Mayo, which leads to the Plaza de Mayo. The Plaza de Mayo is surrounded by the Casa Rosada, their White House (even though the president doesn’t actually live there—he, and now she, lives out in one of the barrios.) The inauguration of Cristina Fernández de Kirschner takes place on Monday at the Casa Rosada. Many people are optimistic that she will continue the economic turn-around. Around the Plaza de Mayo are the Cabildo (the Spanish colonial headquarters for Argentina), and the cathedral, which is built in Neo-Classic style. It the Cathedral there is a chapel where José de San Martín, Argentina´s national heroe is buried. It was very moving and emotional for me to see the two simple Honor Guards at the entrance to the chapel…also in the chapel was a very small crypt of the unknown Argentine soldier. Everything was understated in the demeanor of both the guards and the public. It was so accessible and real, unlike the deification of US historical figures. Here was a man who lacked the ambition that could have made him a huge figure in South American history, but at the only meeting he had with Simón Bolívar, just simply handed over the reins to him, and went into exile to France, where he died. There were so many thoughts of “what if…”
The tour also included passing by the Riachuelo River, that converges with the Río de Plata further down…The tour guide said it was very important for Argentina because, after the Ganges, it is the most polluted river in the world. It is 90% polluted, whatever that means.
Later we went to the street Tango Fiesta. Every block there was a bandstand and a dance floor, where couples from the general public got up and danced. Tango is the city´s biggest obsession, after fútbol. During the military dictatorship, tango was virtually eliminated and supplanted by rock and specifically US music. With the demise of the dictatorship, and the re-establishment of democracy, tango experienced a resurgence. The city itself owns and operates the tango radio station, 2 por 4, about which I wrote earlier. And it´s not just old folks who like tango. There are the “Typical Orchestras” populated by young musicians who fuse traditional tango with pop or rock and create their own version of the idiom.
Speech—all y´s and ll´s are pronounced either sh or zh. The difference between these two sounds is in the social strata. Sh is lower class and zh is not. Add this to the Napolitano phonology and Lunfardo, you have an interesting dialect. I just love to hear it, and find it fascinatingly easy to imitate.
More later
This evening there was a street Tango Fiesta on the Calle de Mayo, which leads to the Plaza de Mayo. The Plaza de Mayo is surrounded by the Casa Rosada, their White House (even though the president doesn’t actually live there—he, and now she, lives out in one of the barrios.) The inauguration of Cristina Fernández de Kirschner takes place on Monday at the Casa Rosada. Many people are optimistic that she will continue the economic turn-around. Around the Plaza de Mayo are the Cabildo (the Spanish colonial headquarters for Argentina), and the cathedral, which is built in Neo-Classic style. It the Cathedral there is a chapel where José de San Martín, Argentina´s national heroe is buried. It was very moving and emotional for me to see the two simple Honor Guards at the entrance to the chapel…also in the chapel was a very small crypt of the unknown Argentine soldier. Everything was understated in the demeanor of both the guards and the public. It was so accessible and real, unlike the deification of US historical figures. Here was a man who lacked the ambition that could have made him a huge figure in South American history, but at the only meeting he had with Simón Bolívar, just simply handed over the reins to him, and went into exile to France, where he died. There were so many thoughts of “what if…”
The tour also included passing by the Riachuelo River, that converges with the Río de Plata further down…The tour guide said it was very important for Argentina because, after the Ganges, it is the most polluted river in the world. It is 90% polluted, whatever that means.
Later we went to the street Tango Fiesta. Every block there was a bandstand and a dance floor, where couples from the general public got up and danced. Tango is the city´s biggest obsession, after fútbol. During the military dictatorship, tango was virtually eliminated and supplanted by rock and specifically US music. With the demise of the dictatorship, and the re-establishment of democracy, tango experienced a resurgence. The city itself owns and operates the tango radio station, 2 por 4, about which I wrote earlier. And it´s not just old folks who like tango. There are the “Typical Orchestras” populated by young musicians who fuse traditional tango with pop or rock and create their own version of the idiom.
Speech—all y´s and ll´s are pronounced either sh or zh. The difference between these two sounds is in the social strata. Sh is lower class and zh is not. Add this to the Napolitano phonology and Lunfardo, you have an interesting dialect. I just love to hear it, and find it fascinatingly easy to imitate.
More later
Argentina 5
aI´ve sent these journal entries to students who have participated in my study abroad programs, selected students of Spanish, the L2 adjuncts, LAR, and the Latino profs at SPSU. A couple of the students responded to the request for comments and questions. Here they are:
from Aleksey..
Very interesting read. The only question I can come up with right now concerns tu. You said that it's not really used, but I'm sure they know about it. What my question is, is if using tu would be considered offensive for being too informal or something. I know tu is used for nearly everything in Caribbean cultures (at least in Puerto Rico) so I was just wondering about its use.
Also, I liked the comment about not yet having seen the explosiveness in speech like Caribbean cultures have. :)
Sure, they know that in other countries tú is the norm for familiar singular. Both tú and vos are familiar singular, and no, there wouldn´t be any offense taken when tú is used. It is just a regional difference. You liked my comment about el Caribe because you´re a Boricua, as if you didn´t know!
From Jason…
Hi Profe,
Wonderful journal entries so far--thanks! I'm curious about the local print news media you see in the kiosks. How many competing newspapers (large and small) are there? Is there a wide range of ideological slants reflected in the daily/weekly press? I imagine that there is at least one Italian-language local paper in the kiosks (there is one, maybe two published in Caracas)--what about other languages in locally published media?
Another thing I'm curious about is how crowded the streets and sidewalks are. When I first started walking around in Caracas, people kept stepping on my shoes, from walking so close together.
The local print media is a vast array of publications. The political positions range from conservative to the opposition. I don´t know the number of local publications, but there are many. Surprisingly, I haven´t run across Corriere de la Sera yet, but I imagine it´s around here, given the number of Argentines with dual Arg-Italy citizenship. RAI is carried on cable TV, so that should be an indication of what is in print..
Yes, the sidewalks are crowded. Rich and I have to walk single file on narrow sidewalks. Maybe that´s why I haven´t seen women out together walking arm-in-arm, nor men, for that matter--–not even on wide sidewalks, come to think of it…You see that a lot in Spain. Proxemics, as you know, are different for Latinos. Anglos are very uncomfortable with the closeness and touching. Perhaps that´s why Argentine tango dancing looks like an A, while American so-called tango dancing looks like a V!
A challenge: read the lyrics and their explanation—because of the amount of Lunfardo:
http://www.terapiatanguera.com.ar/Grandes%20Tangos/YiraYira.htm
Then, listen and watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDZnYpHVNMo
Btw, Lunfardo is defined here: http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunfardo
We spoke today for quite a while with a former reporter from the Washington Post, and also an ex-pat military and Episcopal priest. He has been here for a few years and recently retired. His take on the Argentina political situation is the opposite of the interviewee from yesterday. Rich suspects that yesterday´s person is CIA. I think they both are. Oooooo, spooks! I had hoped that he would bring his bride today because she is an educator, but it didn´t happen. He DID, however, give me the names of 2 professors in the School of Arts and Sciences. It turns out that each School has it´s own language program, so that the contact info sent to me by the UBA Engineering Faculty was for THEIR school only. There are others.
News today is about the last of the officials of the military dictatorship being let go. They had been implicated in the disappearance of all those students and other young people who were herded into planes and dumped in the Atlantic. If you want to see an interesting film about that period of time in Argentina, check out Historia official (Official history/story).
Smells on the streets: diesel exhaust, cigarette smoke (not many no smoking areas here), and perfume, worn by both sexes—lots of it. Sounds—swallows, some car horns, some Vespas going by, and not as many loud voices as in Spain.
More later.
from Aleksey..
Very interesting read. The only question I can come up with right now concerns tu. You said that it's not really used, but I'm sure they know about it. What my question is, is if using tu would be considered offensive for being too informal or something. I know tu is used for nearly everything in Caribbean cultures (at least in Puerto Rico) so I was just wondering about its use.
Also, I liked the comment about not yet having seen the explosiveness in speech like Caribbean cultures have. :)
Sure, they know that in other countries tú is the norm for familiar singular. Both tú and vos are familiar singular, and no, there wouldn´t be any offense taken when tú is used. It is just a regional difference. You liked my comment about el Caribe because you´re a Boricua, as if you didn´t know!
From Jason…
Hi Profe,
Wonderful journal entries so far--thanks! I'm curious about the local print news media you see in the kiosks. How many competing newspapers (large and small) are there? Is there a wide range of ideological slants reflected in the daily/weekly press? I imagine that there is at least one Italian-language local paper in the kiosks (there is one, maybe two published in Caracas)--what about other languages in locally published media?
Another thing I'm curious about is how crowded the streets and sidewalks are. When I first started walking around in Caracas, people kept stepping on my shoes, from walking so close together.
The local print media is a vast array of publications. The political positions range from conservative to the opposition. I don´t know the number of local publications, but there are many. Surprisingly, I haven´t run across Corriere de la Sera yet, but I imagine it´s around here, given the number of Argentines with dual Arg-Italy citizenship. RAI is carried on cable TV, so that should be an indication of what is in print..
Yes, the sidewalks are crowded. Rich and I have to walk single file on narrow sidewalks. Maybe that´s why I haven´t seen women out together walking arm-in-arm, nor men, for that matter--–not even on wide sidewalks, come to think of it…You see that a lot in Spain. Proxemics, as you know, are different for Latinos. Anglos are very uncomfortable with the closeness and touching. Perhaps that´s why Argentine tango dancing looks like an A, while American so-called tango dancing looks like a V!
A challenge: read the lyrics and their explanation—because of the amount of Lunfardo:
http://www.terapiatanguera.com.ar/Grandes%20Tangos/YiraYira.htm
Then, listen and watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDZnYpHVNMo
Btw, Lunfardo is defined here: http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunfardo
We spoke today for quite a while with a former reporter from the Washington Post, and also an ex-pat military and Episcopal priest. He has been here for a few years and recently retired. His take on the Argentina political situation is the opposite of the interviewee from yesterday. Rich suspects that yesterday´s person is CIA. I think they both are. Oooooo, spooks! I had hoped that he would bring his bride today because she is an educator, but it didn´t happen. He DID, however, give me the names of 2 professors in the School of Arts and Sciences. It turns out that each School has it´s own language program, so that the contact info sent to me by the UBA Engineering Faculty was for THEIR school only. There are others.
News today is about the last of the officials of the military dictatorship being let go. They had been implicated in the disappearance of all those students and other young people who were herded into planes and dumped in the Atlantic. If you want to see an interesting film about that period of time in Argentina, check out Historia official (Official history/story).
Smells on the streets: diesel exhaust, cigarette smoke (not many no smoking areas here), and perfume, worn by both sexes—lots of it. Sounds—swallows, some car horns, some Vespas going by, and not as many loud voices as in Spain.
More later.
Argentina 4
Well, how do you know you are in Argentina and not anywhere else? TV. Commercials for mate (an herb beverage) which is drunk from a special sort-of cup. The practice of drinking mate in a group involves sharing the straw. Not for me with this cough. The other assurance on TV that you are really in Argentina…PSAs about how having your DNA determined to see if you might be the child of one of the disappeared from the time of the military dictatorship.
Today we met with a US ex-pat at the BsAs American Club. We had a very interesting talk for a few hours about how business was for US businessmen in Argentina. While the interview was for Rich´s AARP radio series, we exchanged contact information for possible future internship programs for our students in BA at SPSU.
I had my first sample of Argentine beef. It was beef. It was Argentine. It was no big deal. I wonder what the brouhaha is all about.
I bought some small posters about Argentina to take home at a newspaper kiosk today. The vendor was such a pleasure to talk to. He was like a sommelier of newspapers, helping me to select just the right one to buy. He, and many others, was curious about our nationality. When we identified ourselves, there wasn´t the “OMG, YOU’RE THE ENEMY,” as in previous experiences—principally in France. I think they probably get it—the fact that US folks aren´t necessarily in line with the US government´s policies. The papers range from the entire political spectrum, and business. I even saw a weekly about psychology. (A colleague of mine at Emory years ago had explained how in Argentina the school most prevalent is that of the French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan. I had heard of him in French lit classes when we had to become familiar with structuralism.
Cristina Fernández de Kirschner takes over the presidency on Monday the 10th. The ex-pat today said that she has little preparation in economics, and that her husband will be ruling through her. The newspaper I bought indicated that she would rule in her own right, and that her husband won´t be playing the roll of the power behind the throne. It remains to be seen. We will be in Santiago when the change of president takes place. It will be interesting to see how Chile views the whole thing.
I haven´t been able to get a hold of Mr. Mascarenhas. I´ll probably finally meet him after we return to BsAs from Santiago on the 13th.
Here´s a video of a famous tango, “Yira, yira” sung by a twenty-something winner of Argentina´s Operación Triunfo, an American Idol look-alike reality show started in Spain. The lyrics are strange from a young person´s perspective because they are principally about how when you get screwed over by life, just keep on keeping on…yira, yira…not a Spanish word, but likely from Italian, gira. Enjoy. His other stuff is rock and pop, but I like this—besides, he´s cute—with Italian eyes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDZnYpHVNMo
more later
Today we met with a US ex-pat at the BsAs American Club. We had a very interesting talk for a few hours about how business was for US businessmen in Argentina. While the interview was for Rich´s AARP radio series, we exchanged contact information for possible future internship programs for our students in BA at SPSU.
I had my first sample of Argentine beef. It was beef. It was Argentine. It was no big deal. I wonder what the brouhaha is all about.
I bought some small posters about Argentina to take home at a newspaper kiosk today. The vendor was such a pleasure to talk to. He was like a sommelier of newspapers, helping me to select just the right one to buy. He, and many others, was curious about our nationality. When we identified ourselves, there wasn´t the “OMG, YOU’RE THE ENEMY,” as in previous experiences—principally in France. I think they probably get it—the fact that US folks aren´t necessarily in line with the US government´s policies. The papers range from the entire political spectrum, and business. I even saw a weekly about psychology. (A colleague of mine at Emory years ago had explained how in Argentina the school most prevalent is that of the French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan. I had heard of him in French lit classes when we had to become familiar with structuralism.
Cristina Fernández de Kirschner takes over the presidency on Monday the 10th. The ex-pat today said that she has little preparation in economics, and that her husband will be ruling through her. The newspaper I bought indicated that she would rule in her own right, and that her husband won´t be playing the roll of the power behind the throne. It remains to be seen. We will be in Santiago when the change of president takes place. It will be interesting to see how Chile views the whole thing.
I haven´t been able to get a hold of Mr. Mascarenhas. I´ll probably finally meet him after we return to BsAs from Santiago on the 13th.
Here´s a video of a famous tango, “Yira, yira” sung by a twenty-something winner of Argentina´s Operación Triunfo, an American Idol look-alike reality show started in Spain. The lyrics are strange from a young person´s perspective because they are principally about how when you get screwed over by life, just keep on keeping on…yira, yira…not a Spanish word, but likely from Italian, gira. Enjoy. His other stuff is rock and pop, but I like this—besides, he´s cute—with Italian eyes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDZnYpHVNMo
more later
Argentina 3
I have to eat my don´t-stand-on-line words…Argentines are waiting on line all over the place for the collectivos…the public busses…But, get this, each line is a different company. All the busses are different in paint jobs. I’ve never heard of this anywhere else. There are some overarching governances, however. For example, the whole public transportation system is getting a price increase. The current bus ticket costs 75 centavos, and is going up to 90 after Jan 1. There are 100 centavos in a peso, and a peso is worth US$.33. Pretty cheap, no? …at least for us.
Oh, and I found out today why there was a protest/demonstration march yesterday. The very first-ever indigenous person, a woman, was elected deputed—representative—to the Argentine national legislature´s lower body. So, there wasn´t a protest yesterday, it was more of a demonstration of a lot of growing/crowing pride. And, the reason why everyone was so blasé about it—there are demonstrations here practically on a daily basis. The protest du jour is workers complaining about the firing of 100 of them from the floating casino on the Río de la Plata. When they protested late last night, 11 were arrested. So, in true fashion, they protested the arrests in a demonstration today. It´s amusing to see the protestors following the traffic signals. I thought demonstrations were for disrupting life. Not here. Go figure.
There was an explosion in a lab belonging to a provincial university today. They had been testing new forms of bio substitutes for petrol sources of energy. Several people were injured.
The streets and sidewalks are in poor repair, and there´s minor trash—bits and pieces of paper—everywhere, just like in Spain years ago. There is also littering as there used to be in Spain. Much of BsAs is reminiscent of Spain for me, but there is also a busy, energetic mood like NY’s. It´s exciting to be here. Newspaper kiosks have a wide range of offerings—even a weekly newspaper about poetry.
Electronic communications are as sophisticated as those in the US. Internet, Cable TV, cell phones…it´s all the same here. The Cable system in the hotel does NOT have CNN as Europe does, but there are two channels from Spain. the international TVEI that I have at home, and we have on campus, and another from Galicia—the northwest corner of Spain, above Portugal. This confirms what I had suspected…a large population of Gallegos here from Spain. Now many of those Gallegos here are returning to Galicia from Argentina. It has made a formerly impoverished part of Spain much better off economically. Of course, there is RAI from Italy, NOTHING from the UK (what ever happened to the idea that
“Argentineans think like the French but want to be English”?) There also is Deutsche Welle in German.
Music here on the radio doesn´t have nearly the amount of US imports as does Spanish radio. There is some rock, some tango, and a lot of Latin pop and rock. The national radio system broadcasts tango through the night throughout the country, and there is another 24/7 tango station in BsAs called 2 por 4—the time signature of tango. Here are a couple of videos of a precursor to the tango, a milonga (yes, it’s the same name as the dance hall where people go to tango): 1, acoustic on an old piano, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KkkbqCO3Ow&feature=related
2, from Sicily (!), on my birthday this past year, Argentine dancers demonstrate a milonga (sung in siciliano and argentino—accent and all!):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0AdkfVpOus
I see a lot of young people, but few small children. I suppose it has to do with the area where our hotel is. I remember many more small children in Spain.
Another observation…the BsAs population has a reputation of being arrogant and obnoxious, not unlike France’s. However, as I observed in Paris this past summer, there is absolutely NO EVIDENCE of that, whatsoever, so far. The folks on the street seem to be open and friendly, and gracious. I still can´t get over the laid-back attitude. They seem to be generally unflappable…unlike yours truly.
More later.
Oh, and I found out today why there was a protest/demonstration march yesterday. The very first-ever indigenous person, a woman, was elected deputed—representative—to the Argentine national legislature´s lower body. So, there wasn´t a protest yesterday, it was more of a demonstration of a lot of growing/crowing pride. And, the reason why everyone was so blasé about it—there are demonstrations here practically on a daily basis. The protest du jour is workers complaining about the firing of 100 of them from the floating casino on the Río de la Plata. When they protested late last night, 11 were arrested. So, in true fashion, they protested the arrests in a demonstration today. It´s amusing to see the protestors following the traffic signals. I thought demonstrations were for disrupting life. Not here. Go figure.
There was an explosion in a lab belonging to a provincial university today. They had been testing new forms of bio substitutes for petrol sources of energy. Several people were injured.
The streets and sidewalks are in poor repair, and there´s minor trash—bits and pieces of paper—everywhere, just like in Spain years ago. There is also littering as there used to be in Spain. Much of BsAs is reminiscent of Spain for me, but there is also a busy, energetic mood like NY’s. It´s exciting to be here. Newspaper kiosks have a wide range of offerings—even a weekly newspaper about poetry.
Electronic communications are as sophisticated as those in the US. Internet, Cable TV, cell phones…it´s all the same here. The Cable system in the hotel does NOT have CNN as Europe does, but there are two channels from Spain. the international TVEI that I have at home, and we have on campus, and another from Galicia—the northwest corner of Spain, above Portugal. This confirms what I had suspected…a large population of Gallegos here from Spain. Now many of those Gallegos here are returning to Galicia from Argentina. It has made a formerly impoverished part of Spain much better off economically. Of course, there is RAI from Italy, NOTHING from the UK (what ever happened to the idea that
“Argentineans think like the French but want to be English”?) There also is Deutsche Welle in German.
Music here on the radio doesn´t have nearly the amount of US imports as does Spanish radio. There is some rock, some tango, and a lot of Latin pop and rock. The national radio system broadcasts tango through the night throughout the country, and there is another 24/7 tango station in BsAs called 2 por 4—the time signature of tango. Here are a couple of videos of a precursor to the tango, a milonga (yes, it’s the same name as the dance hall where people go to tango): 1, acoustic on an old piano, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KkkbqCO3Ow&feature=related
2, from Sicily (!), on my birthday this past year, Argentine dancers demonstrate a milonga (sung in siciliano and argentino—accent and all!):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0AdkfVpOus
I see a lot of young people, but few small children. I suppose it has to do with the area where our hotel is. I remember many more small children in Spain.
Another observation…the BsAs population has a reputation of being arrogant and obnoxious, not unlike France’s. However, as I observed in Paris this past summer, there is absolutely NO EVIDENCE of that, whatsoever, so far. The folks on the street seem to be open and friendly, and gracious. I still can´t get over the laid-back attitude. They seem to be generally unflappable…unlike yours truly.
More later.
Argentina 2
Argentina, your name is humidity! Why didn’t I think about that before? Not that it matters, but today it was misty on and off, and slimy. This is worse than Florida in the summer…because even Florida is sort of dry during Christmas. It’s the Christmas season around here, too, but that means summer vacation is beginning.
The visit to COINED was reminiscent of the visit to Españolé, with the marked difference of having many more students, a larger facility, and an issue that I hadn’t considered. The standard familiar form of address is tú in Spanish, but not here. Everyone uses vos. The verb forms are different, too. In fact, the voseo (use of this form) is present all over America, except the Caribbean countries. However, vos is used here exclusively, to the complete exclusion of tú. The option of having the students learn tú would have to be negotiated. Another point of negotiation would be whether we have a special course designed for SPSU. Berry College did so with their program at COINED. They had a 2-week program developed for them in a maymester schedule during which the students explored the Argentinean culture through the five senses. All students were education majors, so they visited schools, and had activities appropriate to their future careers. I inquired about the possibility of offering SPSU students something similar for December “demi term” with a focus on “Doing business (technically-focused) in Latin America.” More discussion would be needed if we go in that direction.
I really think that when Rich B comes here in March, he will have to meet with the language department at UBA to explore our options there. However, even though I think BsAs offers a lot to our students, I still view this relationship as providing SPSU with students from here. He will have to, with Han, also seek out the Department of Computation. When I dine with Mr. Mascarenhas, I will ask him to help out with this.
The economy here is in crisis mode. The lower legislative body voted today to extend its emergency status. That means that it can continue re-negotiating the agreements Argentina has with other entities. The price of milk, and of public transportation is going up after January 1. In spite of all the fields of wheat I observed from the plane, the crop this year wasn’t what they had hoped for, and there isn’t enough to export. And there is a big brouhaha over retired pensioners’ monthly allotment’s being held back this month.
We went for a long walk around the city, and I kept thinking how much there is to offer a language student here. Little shops everywhere, like the “corner store” I grew up with in Chicago, are in abundance. Little shops of every possible merchandise are also ubiquitous. We passed by bookstores out the wazoo—I was VERY GOOD and kept my wallet in my purse. It was easy to keep it in my purse when we went by a tango shoe store, too. You can get men´s and women´s shoes for tango-ing, along with all the accoutrements. We even passed a milonga—a dance hall where you can see tango performed “para export”—for tourists--, or even take tango lessons and dance yourself. (Rich is willing to go anywhere, but he’s pretty adamantly insisting NOT to go to a milonga.) I think tango provides a lot of psychotherapy for the participants. I’ve been listening to a podcast series for a couple of years now called Tango City Tour, and have come to love the music and the whole tango thing. First of all, the music is composed for those of us of a “certain age” who have been around the block once or twice before, and have been chewed up and spit out by life. The lyrics reflect loss, nostalgia, and sadness—each song is an eensy-teensy opera.
There is theatre here worth seeing. One play I would like to see is “Encuentro en Guayaquil.” It’s about the one time that the two great liberators, Simón Bolívar and José de San Martín met. It also marked the time when it was possible for there to have been a united America, but it was not to be. The negotiating point was Perú. San Martín’s hold on it was tenuous, and he decided to cede it to Bolívar, and then retired. What would/could have happened at that particular moment is sad to think about. Bolívar ended up, after his stint in politics (just like the presidential candidate who is a great candidate, but expressly not prepared to govern) ended up declaring nearly on his deathbed, that Latin America is ungovernable. In a way, Chávez has it right on this score. If Latin America could be come organized into a loosely cooperating unit like Europe, things would be better for all. Just imagine ONE monetary unit across the continent, with richer countries bringing the poorer ones up to par. Standards of health, education, and security shared by all. One free market—now even Chile and Argentina can´t play together. Mercosur excludes Chile, but Venezuela is a member state. And on and on…
The Argentines brag about how their constituents meld together…they come from everywhere—but that “everywhere” is Europe. This is not really a diverse population. On our walk we decided to have a meal at a bar-restaurant. While we were waiting for our food, an interesting event took place. A VERY LONG protest march of indigenous people from Bolivia waving the Bolivian and Indigenous flag, chanting the praises of Evo Morales, Bolivia’s first indigenous president. How did hey get there? It costs money to travel that far. Why protest against their status, and support Morales in BsAs? BsAs, the city full of Europeans. Their attitude was a mixture of serious purpose and wonder at their surroundings. At the same time, a paneled van went by with “Feliz Janucá” on the side panels, and an electric menorah on the roof, with the central candle and the first candle lit. I was stripping gears. There is a large Jewish population here. Curiosity for me because Argentina during WWII, was not supporting the Allies, and didn’t do so until March of 1945—the war ended on May 8, 1945 (I remember this because it’s Rich’s birthday)-- so they were buying insurance. At the same time, there was an exodus to Argentina by both Jews fleeing the war, and former Nazis escaping the post war search for justice. Go figure.
All in all, an interesting day. They even had today’s market report with “Stars and Stripes Forever” playing. (What does THAT mean?) Tomorrow dinner with Mr. Mascarenhas, and more walking around. We’ve moved into better, cleaner, brighter digs—very condusive for getting over this wretched cough. More later.
The visit to COINED was reminiscent of the visit to Españolé, with the marked difference of having many more students, a larger facility, and an issue that I hadn’t considered. The standard familiar form of address is tú in Spanish, but not here. Everyone uses vos. The verb forms are different, too. In fact, the voseo (use of this form) is present all over America, except the Caribbean countries. However, vos is used here exclusively, to the complete exclusion of tú. The option of having the students learn tú would have to be negotiated. Another point of negotiation would be whether we have a special course designed for SPSU. Berry College did so with their program at COINED. They had a 2-week program developed for them in a maymester schedule during which the students explored the Argentinean culture through the five senses. All students were education majors, so they visited schools, and had activities appropriate to their future careers. I inquired about the possibility of offering SPSU students something similar for December “demi term” with a focus on “Doing business (technically-focused) in Latin America.” More discussion would be needed if we go in that direction.
I really think that when Rich B comes here in March, he will have to meet with the language department at UBA to explore our options there. However, even though I think BsAs offers a lot to our students, I still view this relationship as providing SPSU with students from here. He will have to, with Han, also seek out the Department of Computation. When I dine with Mr. Mascarenhas, I will ask him to help out with this.
The economy here is in crisis mode. The lower legislative body voted today to extend its emergency status. That means that it can continue re-negotiating the agreements Argentina has with other entities. The price of milk, and of public transportation is going up after January 1. In spite of all the fields of wheat I observed from the plane, the crop this year wasn’t what they had hoped for, and there isn’t enough to export. And there is a big brouhaha over retired pensioners’ monthly allotment’s being held back this month.
We went for a long walk around the city, and I kept thinking how much there is to offer a language student here. Little shops everywhere, like the “corner store” I grew up with in Chicago, are in abundance. Little shops of every possible merchandise are also ubiquitous. We passed by bookstores out the wazoo—I was VERY GOOD and kept my wallet in my purse. It was easy to keep it in my purse when we went by a tango shoe store, too. You can get men´s and women´s shoes for tango-ing, along with all the accoutrements. We even passed a milonga—a dance hall where you can see tango performed “para export”—for tourists--, or even take tango lessons and dance yourself. (Rich is willing to go anywhere, but he’s pretty adamantly insisting NOT to go to a milonga.) I think tango provides a lot of psychotherapy for the participants. I’ve been listening to a podcast series for a couple of years now called Tango City Tour, and have come to love the music and the whole tango thing. First of all, the music is composed for those of us of a “certain age” who have been around the block once or twice before, and have been chewed up and spit out by life. The lyrics reflect loss, nostalgia, and sadness—each song is an eensy-teensy opera.
There is theatre here worth seeing. One play I would like to see is “Encuentro en Guayaquil.” It’s about the one time that the two great liberators, Simón Bolívar and José de San Martín met. It also marked the time when it was possible for there to have been a united America, but it was not to be. The negotiating point was Perú. San Martín’s hold on it was tenuous, and he decided to cede it to Bolívar, and then retired. What would/could have happened at that particular moment is sad to think about. Bolívar ended up, after his stint in politics (just like the presidential candidate who is a great candidate, but expressly not prepared to govern) ended up declaring nearly on his deathbed, that Latin America is ungovernable. In a way, Chávez has it right on this score. If Latin America could be come organized into a loosely cooperating unit like Europe, things would be better for all. Just imagine ONE monetary unit across the continent, with richer countries bringing the poorer ones up to par. Standards of health, education, and security shared by all. One free market—now even Chile and Argentina can´t play together. Mercosur excludes Chile, but Venezuela is a member state. And on and on…
The Argentines brag about how their constituents meld together…they come from everywhere—but that “everywhere” is Europe. This is not really a diverse population. On our walk we decided to have a meal at a bar-restaurant. While we were waiting for our food, an interesting event took place. A VERY LONG protest march of indigenous people from Bolivia waving the Bolivian and Indigenous flag, chanting the praises of Evo Morales, Bolivia’s first indigenous president. How did hey get there? It costs money to travel that far. Why protest against their status, and support Morales in BsAs? BsAs, the city full of Europeans. Their attitude was a mixture of serious purpose and wonder at their surroundings. At the same time, a paneled van went by with “Feliz Janucá” on the side panels, and an electric menorah on the roof, with the central candle and the first candle lit. I was stripping gears. There is a large Jewish population here. Curiosity for me because Argentina during WWII, was not supporting the Allies, and didn’t do so until March of 1945—the war ended on May 8, 1945 (I remember this because it’s Rich’s birthday)-- so they were buying insurance. At the same time, there was an exodus to Argentina by both Jews fleeing the war, and former Nazis escaping the post war search for justice. Go figure.
All in all, an interesting day. They even had today’s market report with “Stars and Stripes Forever” playing. (What does THAT mean?) Tomorrow dinner with Mr. Mascarenhas, and more walking around. We’ve moved into better, cleaner, brighter digs—very condusive for getting over this wretched cough. More later.
Argentina 1
The flight from Atlanta to Buenos Aires went almost directly southeasterly. We passed over Cuba, Colombia (narrowly skirting its border with Venezuela), Peru, Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina (also nearly touching Uruguay). Over the Amazon Basin the ride was slightly bumpy. I blocked out the reflection of the cabin lights in the window so that I could see the clouds go by. We were flying at 35,000 ft., so some of those clouds were well above that altitude. A student of mine this term said that when he was in the Air Force, they flew him over Brazil, and the Brazilian government officials said that they were not allowed to see out the window at night because the Rain Forest was ablaze. I wanted to see that, but all I saw was clouds.
When we were approaching Buenos Aires, I had expected to see the vast, open Pampas, but what I did see was a lot of land divided into parcels, most of which looked like fields of ripening wheat. I also saw A LOT of water…rivers here seem to have a lot of parallel tributaries. Everything looks well irrigated and richly healthy. Our arrival (a perfect three-point landing!) was to an airport the size of Madrid’s years ago. One of the first things I observed while we were waiting for a tow to the gate, was something I had heard about, but had never seen. To male workers greeted each other with pecks on the cheek. Nothing homosexual in this act, mind you, but not exactly an anglo take on things. The airport was better organized than Madrid’s. There were sufficient personnel to accommodate all the arriving travelers, so, after getting our baggage, we were waved quickly through customs. I went directly to a cajero automático (an ATM), then on to Aerolíneas Argentinas to confirm our reservations from BsAs to Santiago next Sunday.
I did notice, however, that argentinos, like all Latins, do not have a concept of waiting “on” line, as they say in NY,NY. It´s everyone for him/herself, but without a lot of pushing and shoving. The noise level at the airport is 1% of that of Madrid. As opposed to tourism in Europe, there were few US travelers. We did hear French, Dutch, German, and Italian—or was it español with the porteño accent? (Twice as many Italians migrated to Argentina as those who went to the US at the end of the XIXth Cent., so the Spanish here is Italian light…I LOVE IT!…their phonology has more in common with Napolitano that with Spanish in the rest of America.)
We were handed a flyer that said NOT to go with a taxi driver who approaches you, but rather, go to the kiosk where you pay the fixed fare. We did so, and got a personable taxista from Uruguay—remember José Vinelli’s accent? Same thing. We had a rather long ride from the airport to the hotel, during which we talked about BsAs, its barrios (there are 50 or so of them!), the economy, and, believe it or not, sustainability. There is a campaign in Argentina to save their rain forest, not only because of the loss of habitat for animals, but that of certain indigenous groups who inhabit it. Their appeal is for the maintenance of land for the people.
BsAs looks generally run down. It has had a major economic crisis that it is just now beginning to overcome. Like the lure of easy money for home mortgages in the US that is the motive for our recent economic crisis, Argentina succumbed to that of easy IMF loans—not unlike the rest of America. To think that this is the most “civilized” country in America, and it’s having so many problems, what must the rest of America be like? Well, if you think that “civilized” means like Europe, that is what Argentina is. There are very few people of color here. Those who are come from somewhere else, and generally do menial tasks. Menial jobs are as few and far between as other jobs, so even the argentinos want them. Here is a curious observation that I had heard about before coming here. Stores close around 9:30 or so, and they put all the garbage and trash on the streets. Before the garbage trucks come to pick it up, the strange practice of legalized garbage picking takes place. These people are called the cartoneros. They search through the garbage for all recyclable goods, pick them up, and then go back to their living situations, whatever that may be, on the Subte (the local name for the subway) for free. The city provides that to them because, in fact, they are doing the city a favor by lightening the load for its waste disposal system.
Our hotel is near COINED, the language institute we are negotiating with. It is called Gran Hotel Argentino, but it is anything but. It reminds me of the Spain of my early years there, before europeización. After recuperating from a sleepless night on the plane, we went out to find the street where the institute is located, so we´d be oriented in the morning. The side streets are dark, and the population, in spite of the warm late spring weather, does not stay out as do madrileños. Their meal schedule is not unlike that of the US…breakfast, fast lunch, and the major meal of the day is after the work day. Restaurants appear to be abundant, and the food choices are European and Argentinean. Pasta and cow. I haven´t yet seen the first US fast food restaurant, but I HAVE seen some very beautiful women , and very handsome men. Plastic surgery is practiced here at the scale of that in Brazil. All sorts of beauty products, and ads for them are around, as well as ads for financial services. The medical system here is socialized, so everyone has access.
There is tango everywhere, there is TV, theatre, film. But most of all, there is fútbol. And the local stadium, where Boca FC plays, is called the Bonbonera, the candy box. If it were a candy box for real, Argentina would be 100% diabetic! This is more than an obsession, it´s oxygen, it’s water, it’s life itself. My biggest surprise, though, is the fact that I never knew how laid back the porteños (people from BsAs) are. There is a lot of animated speech, and it´s passionate, but I haven´t seen the explosive Caribbean demeanor. But then, it´s only my first day here!
Nestor Kirschner, the president, spoke on TV tonight not about Hugo Chávez’s failure to change the Venezuelan constitution, but to make mention of Chavez’s arrogant response to the election results. Thank God the Venezuelans didn´t allow themselves to be steamrolled.
More later.
When we were approaching Buenos Aires, I had expected to see the vast, open Pampas, but what I did see was a lot of land divided into parcels, most of which looked like fields of ripening wheat. I also saw A LOT of water…rivers here seem to have a lot of parallel tributaries. Everything looks well irrigated and richly healthy. Our arrival (a perfect three-point landing!) was to an airport the size of Madrid’s years ago. One of the first things I observed while we were waiting for a tow to the gate, was something I had heard about, but had never seen. To male workers greeted each other with pecks on the cheek. Nothing homosexual in this act, mind you, but not exactly an anglo take on things. The airport was better organized than Madrid’s. There were sufficient personnel to accommodate all the arriving travelers, so, after getting our baggage, we were waved quickly through customs. I went directly to a cajero automático (an ATM), then on to Aerolíneas Argentinas to confirm our reservations from BsAs to Santiago next Sunday.
I did notice, however, that argentinos, like all Latins, do not have a concept of waiting “on” line, as they say in NY,NY. It´s everyone for him/herself, but without a lot of pushing and shoving. The noise level at the airport is 1% of that of Madrid. As opposed to tourism in Europe, there were few US travelers. We did hear French, Dutch, German, and Italian—or was it español with the porteño accent? (Twice as many Italians migrated to Argentina as those who went to the US at the end of the XIXth Cent., so the Spanish here is Italian light…I LOVE IT!…their phonology has more in common with Napolitano that with Spanish in the rest of America.)
We were handed a flyer that said NOT to go with a taxi driver who approaches you, but rather, go to the kiosk where you pay the fixed fare. We did so, and got a personable taxista from Uruguay—remember José Vinelli’s accent? Same thing. We had a rather long ride from the airport to the hotel, during which we talked about BsAs, its barrios (there are 50 or so of them!), the economy, and, believe it or not, sustainability. There is a campaign in Argentina to save their rain forest, not only because of the loss of habitat for animals, but that of certain indigenous groups who inhabit it. Their appeal is for the maintenance of land for the people.
BsAs looks generally run down. It has had a major economic crisis that it is just now beginning to overcome. Like the lure of easy money for home mortgages in the US that is the motive for our recent economic crisis, Argentina succumbed to that of easy IMF loans—not unlike the rest of America. To think that this is the most “civilized” country in America, and it’s having so many problems, what must the rest of America be like? Well, if you think that “civilized” means like Europe, that is what Argentina is. There are very few people of color here. Those who are come from somewhere else, and generally do menial tasks. Menial jobs are as few and far between as other jobs, so even the argentinos want them. Here is a curious observation that I had heard about before coming here. Stores close around 9:30 or so, and they put all the garbage and trash on the streets. Before the garbage trucks come to pick it up, the strange practice of legalized garbage picking takes place. These people are called the cartoneros. They search through the garbage for all recyclable goods, pick them up, and then go back to their living situations, whatever that may be, on the Subte (the local name for the subway) for free. The city provides that to them because, in fact, they are doing the city a favor by lightening the load for its waste disposal system.
Our hotel is near COINED, the language institute we are negotiating with. It is called Gran Hotel Argentino, but it is anything but. It reminds me of the Spain of my early years there, before europeización. After recuperating from a sleepless night on the plane, we went out to find the street where the institute is located, so we´d be oriented in the morning. The side streets are dark, and the population, in spite of the warm late spring weather, does not stay out as do madrileños. Their meal schedule is not unlike that of the US…breakfast, fast lunch, and the major meal of the day is after the work day. Restaurants appear to be abundant, and the food choices are European and Argentinean. Pasta and cow. I haven´t yet seen the first US fast food restaurant, but I HAVE seen some very beautiful women , and very handsome men. Plastic surgery is practiced here at the scale of that in Brazil. All sorts of beauty products, and ads for them are around, as well as ads for financial services. The medical system here is socialized, so everyone has access.
There is tango everywhere, there is TV, theatre, film. But most of all, there is fútbol. And the local stadium, where Boca FC plays, is called the Bonbonera, the candy box. If it were a candy box for real, Argentina would be 100% diabetic! This is more than an obsession, it´s oxygen, it’s water, it’s life itself. My biggest surprise, though, is the fact that I never knew how laid back the porteños (people from BsAs) are. There is a lot of animated speech, and it´s passionate, but I haven´t seen the explosive Caribbean demeanor. But then, it´s only my first day here!
Nestor Kirschner, the president, spoke on TV tonight not about Hugo Chávez’s failure to change the Venezuelan constitution, but to make mention of Chavez’s arrogant response to the election results. Thank God the Venezuelans didn´t allow themselves to be steamrolled.
More later.
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